Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 30 Sep 2003

Vol. 571 No. 1

Written Answers. - Disadvantaged Status.

Finian McGrath

Ceist:

475 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science the percentage of traveller children who drop out of school early; and his views on whether education has to be part of long-term plans to ensure equality for travellers and their children. [19746/03]

Minister for Education and Science (Mr. N. Dempsey)

While percentages in relation to the exact number of Travellers who leave school early is not readily available, support is provided for an estimated 5,900 Traveller children at primary level including junior Traveller education centres and special schools for travellers, an estimated 1,600 Traveller children at second level, 955 in senior Traveller training centres and 220 in Youthreach, while current CSO figures indicate a population of 6,593 Traveller children between the ages of 5 to 14 years and 4,850 Traveller young people between the ages of 15 to 24 years.

It is acknowledged that the drop out rate for Traveller children has been unacceptably high. The factors contributing to early school leaving among Travellers and identified by surveys include nomadism, insufficient achievement at primary level, Traveller culture and identity not being validated in the mainstream curriculum, housing and accommodation issues including unsuitable conditions for home study and reduced levels of parental support.

My Department's policy in relation to the education of Travellers is that all school-going Traveller children should be fully integrated into and educated in mainstream education provision. Resources amounting to approximately €40 million annually are provided to support the education of Travellers in the ordinary school system. These special resources include resource teachers for Travellers, enhanced capitation grants, transport, information technology, parental support through the visiting teacher service for Travellers, psychological assessments, etc.

The 1995 Task Force on the Traveller Community made 167 recommendations in the field of Traveller education, more than half of the total number in the report. This is a reflection of the complexity of the education service provision, from early years to adult, from formal schooling to youth work. If we are to successfully address the on-going and emerging challenges, this must be balanced with innovation and fresh thinking. I want to ensure the highest standards of practice possible and at the same time have a cost effective educational service for Travellers. The development and implementation of a Traveller education strategy has the potential to guarantee maximum benefit to Travellers and reasonable cost to the Government.

My Department is committed to developing a five year Traveller education strategy, including an evaluation of existing initiatives in this area. Work has commenced in developing a framework for the strategy and it is expected that the scope and organisational structure for the strategy exercise will be agreed shortly. The main focus of the Traveller education strategy exercise will be to review/evaluate existing activities, the wide range of inputs, the quality of outcomes and the experience of Traveller learners within the education system.

The strategy will provide recommendations on the way forward in relation to Traveller education, taking account of the complexity of the issues involved, the history of provision and existing measures and recommend a phased implementation plan. Clear objectives will be set and it is envisaged that any baseline data required to support implementation of the strategy will be identified and the required arrangements to benchmark performance against these baseline data during the five year implementation period will be outlined. The outcome should provide a more integrated approach across all sectors, greater retention and attainment of Travellers in education and improved value for money from the considerable investment in this area.