Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 19 Apr 2000

Vol. 518 No. 4

Written Answers. - Disadvantaged Status.

Dan Neville

Ceist:

40 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will establish local education task forces in each of the partnership areas in order that they will develop local education plans to tackle problems of education disadvantage in their area. [11831/00]

Phil Hogan

Ceist:

81 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Education and Science the plans he has to develop a system of local education networks to achieve better co-operation, joint programmes and partnership arrangements between schools and other service providers and community groups. [11843/00]

Minister for Education and Science (Dr. Woods):

I propose to take Questions Nos. 40 and 81 together.

Each of the 38 area based partnerships established training and education sub-committees as specified in the operational programme for urban and rural development 1994-99. The role of these committees is to identify how partnerships can best support education and training provision at local level in conjunction with mainstream providers as appropriate.

My Department contributes to the planning work of these committees through my nominated representatives who are drawn from the Department's inspectorate and educational psychological services. In addition, each partnership has the services of an education co-ordinator, 12 full time and 26 part-time posts, which are funded by my Department. These co-ordinators, supported by a national co-ordinator based in area development management, assist in the identification and promotion of suitable initiatives, support cohesion of education initiatives within the partnerships and promote integration with community groups and agencies. I am satisfied that this support from my Department makes a substantial contribution to partnerships in identifying and developing additional local initiatives to tackle educational disadvantage in their areas.

An integral part of the Department's strategy to address educational disadvantage is the promotion of enhanced links between schools and their communities. These links and partnership arrangements operate through the employment of home-school-community liaison co-ordinators in schools in disadvantaged areas; through the role of parents and community interests on school boards of management; through the work of the vocational education committees on local drugs task forces and in the area partnerships; through the co-ordinating activities of the youth service and through the requirement for multi-agency linkages as an integral aspect of the 8-15 early school and stay in school initiatives.

Area referral networks with links to employment, training, youth, welfare, health, and probation services and with a wide range of community interests are part of the approach with such programmes as youthreach and the adult literacy service.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Education (Welfare) Bill, 1999, which is currently being discussed before the House, also makes provision for schools to work with organisations engaged in sporting activities or the provision of youth services. Section 22 of the Education (Welfare) Bill provides that schools will, with assistance from the National Educational Welfare Board, prepare statements of strategy, setting out how they intend to reduce the incidence of non-attendance by pupils in their schools. Subsection (2)(f2>d) provides that these statements of strategy shall provide for "the fostering, promoting and establishing of contacts by the school with other schools that provide primary or post-primary education and with bodies engaged in the provision of youth work programmes or services related thereto, or engaged in the organisation or sporting activities."

It is my intention that this provision will enable schools to develop and engage in a network of local bodies, which have as a core focus the provision of services to children and young persons of school going age. This co-ordination of activities can only be beneficial to students. It will help to ensure that students receive a more holistic education, not limited purely to the school but embracing a wider section of the local community. In each instance, I would envisage the local school, through its board of management, as being the key actor in determining how, where and when these links should take place.

However, I am also aware of the need to support schools in preparing and implementing these strategies. Therefore, section 22 also places a duty on the National Educational Welfare Board, through the preparation of guidelines nationally and the intervention of educational welfare officers locally, to support and assist schools in the preparation and implementation of these strategies.

I would hope that the Education (Welfare) Bill will be passed by this House in the near future to allow for a speedy enactment. This will allow for the establishment of the welfare service on a phased basis initially, focusing on areas of disadvantage and thereafter expanding to become a nation-wide service.