Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 February 2024
33. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the steps he is taking to encourage persons from disadvantaged backgrounds and ethnic minorities into third level education. [8775/24]
View answerI published the fourth National Access Plan to Higher Education in August 2022. The plan aligns with and builds on the wider ambitions of the Programme for Government to provide accessible, affordable education to all citizens. While a full midterm review of the plan will take place in 2025, I am pleased to say that we have made progress on a number of areas which support students who are socio-economically disadvantaged and/or from ethnic minority groups.
One of the goals in the plan has been to expand funding to address the cost of going to college and I have made significant improvements to the student grant scheme over the past number of budgets:-
• From September 2024 all non-adjacent maintenance rates will increase by €615 and all adjacent maintenance grant rates will increase by 10%. Students this year will have seen a pro-rata increase effective from January 2024.
• Maintenance for Postgraduate Students is being restored on a similar basis to undergraduate students in September 2024. Students in this academic year will have seen a pro-rata increase effective from January 2024.
• From September 2024 the threshold to receive Band 4 maintenance is increasing to €50,840. This means that more students can avail of maintenance grant support.
• From September 2024 the threshold for the 100% Student Contribution Grant is increasing by 10% to €55924.
• In addition I have increased the Student Assistance Fund bringing this year’s budget to over €19 million.
• Budget 2024 will also see the removal of Post Leaving Cert (PLC) fees from September 2024
Another objective is to enable part-time study for socioeconomically disadvantaged students from priority groups. From September 2024 a part-time fee grant scheme will provide support for eligible students who are undertaking specified undergraduate part-time programmes leading to a major award, both in-person, blended and online. This means that eligible students will avail of free fees for the first time ever if their household income is below €55,924.
My Department continues to run an International Protection Scheme which allows students who have been in the International Protection for 3 years to avail of support similar to the Student Grant Scheme.
Ensuring that all students feel included is a big part of the National Access Plan and just last month I also announced that we will be providing funding to institutions for anti-racism measures – including challenging racism for members of the Traveller & Roma Communities.
At Further Education and Training (FET) level learners are diverse, and the FET Sector plays an important role in providing opportunities and pathways for individuals, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds and ethnic minorities, to help take them to where they want to go.
Fostering Inclusion is one of the three core pillars around which the FET Strategy 2020-2024 is built. The FET sector is committed to increasing levels of inclusion through the provision of high quality, more accessible and flexible education and training programmes and supports suited to the identified needs of individuals with the aim of enabling every citizen, including those from disadvantage backgrounds and ethnic minorities, to participate fully in society.
SOLAS, working closely with my Department, has established multi-annual strategic performance agreements with the 16 Education and Training Boards (ETBs). ETBs are measured on their performance across 12 National targets including ‘Widening Participation’ of marginalised groups in their provision.
The FET sector is developing inclusive learning environments to support those from priority groups, including those from disadvantage backgrounds and ethnic minorities. Work is ongoing to embed Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles in the sector, increasing the opportunities for learners to successfully progress on their programmes. Furthermore, the Adult Educational Guidance and Information Service (AEIGS) available at each ETB can support learners on their journey, providing critical guidance on pathways.
