Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 15 February 2024
213. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the number of Gaeltacht scholarships available to post primary level students in DEIS schools; her plans to increase this number; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7226/24]
View answerThe DEIS Gaeltachta initiative commenced in 2019 with an allocation of €50,000 in order to assist in providing the opportunity to post-primary students attending DEIS schools to attend recognised Irish summer colleges.
Additional funding was allocated to this initiative in 2022 bringing the total funding available for the scheme to €400,000 annually. Over 400 scholarships are offered annually worth c.€850 each to provide unique opportunities for attendees of DEIS post-primary schools throughout the country to attend a summer college in the Gaeltacht. This initiative will continue for 2024.
This fund is administered by the Galway and Roscommon Education and Training Board (GRETB) on behalf of my Department. This social inclusion measure is providing greater opportunities than ever before to DEIS students who might not otherwise get the chance to attend a summer course in the Gaeltacht.
The Deputy may wish to know that an additional allocation of €500,000 is being made available in 2024 to provide similar opportunities for students from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds who do not attend DEIS schools. Details of this new scheme will be announced in due course.
