Vol. 526 No. 3
110 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Education and Science the progress to date in assigning an identity number to each individual pupil as a measure to alleviate truancy and early school leaving; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26521/00]
The Social Welfare Act, 2000, provides a legislative basis for use of the personal public service number, PPS number, as a unique pupil or student identifier at all levels of education. In May of this year, I announced that the PPS number would be introduced on a phased basis for second level pupils starting in the current school year. My Department has now finalised arrangements with the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs to assign the number to pupils who entered second level education for the first time in the current school year. Each of the pupils concerned will be issued with a card containing his-her number in early 2001.
The assignment of the PPS number to all other second level pupils will be phased in over the next two school years. The PPS number will also be used to identify primary pupils and will be assigned in the context of the development, over the next three years, of a new database of these pupils by my Department. The use of the PPS number in tracking the progress of pupils-students through the education system will support programmes to increase retention rates by, for example, providing information on pupils dropping out during their primary school years or failing to make the transition from primary to post-primary education.
