asked the Minister for Education if he is aware of a report (details supplied) that 3,000 itinerant children are not receiving any formal education; and the steps it is proposed to take to ensure that they benefit from equal educational opportunity with children in the settled community.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Itinerant Children's Education.
16.
The report referred to was prepared by the National Co-ordinator for the Education of Travelling People, who works in close collaboration with my Department. The report estimates that there are 3,000 travelling children attending school with sufficient regularity to ensure that they can make some real progress—an increase of about 300 on three years ago. It states that the quality of the education these children are receiving has improved immeasurably owing to the provision of extra remedial teachers, special classes and pre-school classes.
Because of the nature of this problem it is difficult to obtain accurate figures of the number of travelling children who are not attending school. Nevertheless the report deduces that there are about 3,100 travelling children who do not attend school or who attend it only on a very irregular basis. These are mainly the children of unsettled families still living by the side of the road.
My Department, in co-operation with the National Council for the Education of Travelling People, will continue to press on vigorously with the provision of educational facilities for travelling children on the lines recommended by the Commission on Itinerancy. As the commission pointed out, however, progress will depend to a large extent on the success achieved by the community at large in settling the remainder of travelling families.
Could the Minister tell us what pressing on vigorously means in relation to the 3,000 children who are on the side of the road?
It means trying first of all to locate and count them and trying then to persuade them to enrol in the school and stay sufficiently long periods to get some benefit from education. We have, as the Deputy knows, a very dedicated group working in this field and they are getting every help from us, including remedial teachers to try to improve the quality of the education. It is very difficult, as the Deputy knows.
I welcome the Minister's concern about the difficulty of the problem but is he not perturbed by the fact that, according to his own answer, the situation appears, if anything, to be getting marginally worse rather than better over the years in terms of the number of children?
The fact is that hard statistics are not available in regard to those who keep moving. We have statistics for those who stay and who participate in the schemes available to them but we have not got statistics for those who keep moving. It is important that we should have.
Given that the problem is one involving itinerant children, who are itinerant in every sense of the word in that they are not of any fixed abode, would the Minister envisage, even on an experimental basis, a scheme of itinerant teachers? If the children cannot be got into the schools would the Minister consider appointing some teachers, on an experimental basis, to teach the children where they are?
I do not think that is a practical suggestion.
17.
asked the Minister for Education if he will make a comprehensive statement on the educational facilities available for itinerant children in the over 12 age group and if the example set in some parts of the country, whereby training centres and VEC classes have been organised to provide facilities, will be followed especially in the North Dublin area.
A number of travelling children are enrolled in second-level schools and are making reasonable progress. The number is expected to increase as the effect of the special provisions made at primary school level in the context of the report of the Commission on Itinerancy come to full fruition.
In general, my Department are currently engaged in receiving policies in respect of special education for children who can be catered for in ordinary post-primary schools, provided special facilities and services can be made available.
Within this review, the needs of the children of travelling people of this age range are also being considered. It is my policy to cater as far as possible for the needs of these within the framework of the ordinary school system and to resort to the establishment of special schools only where the alternative would not appear practicable. This does not, however, exclude the establishment of special classes. My Department will, therefore, be willing to entertain proposals from vocational education committees and other school authorities with regard to meeting the educational needs of travelling children in the 12-15 age range, and to consider such proposals within the framework of special educational provision.
The question of training centres for teenage travellers is a wider matter in so far as it involves both vocational education committees, which have responsibility for continuation and technical education and An Chomhairle Oiliúna (AnCO) which has wider responsibilities in training for industrial occupations.
At present, training facilities for young travellers either exist or are at an advanced planning stage in some 15 centres throughout the country. I understand that there is one such centre in Coolock in North County Dublin which is being assisted by the County Dublin Vocational Education Committee, and plans are being examined to extend the work of that centre.
I should mention that the majority of these centres have been started through voluntary initiative, principally by the National Council for Travelling People, and that they are being supported and aided to an increasing extent, both by vocational education committees and AnCO, working in co-operation with each other. Such initiative will continue to have the sympathetic co-operation of my Department.
18.
asked the Minister for Education the arrangements being made regarding the special educational needs of itinerant and other children in special classes attending Hill Street National School, Dublin 1, which is shortly to amalgamate with Gardiner Street National School; and if the children involved are to be relocated in a suitable educational environment, such as (a) a similar school with special class facilities, or (b) in a special school for itinerant children, or (c) in the nearest school to their homes.
The question of the amalgamation of Hill Street Convent National School and Gardiner Street Convent National School is under consideration. The educational needs of all the children attending the schools, including those of the travelling children in special classes will be taken fully into consideration before any final decision in the matter is taken. In the event of the schools being amalgamated alternative suitable accommodation will be provided for the special classes.