Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 March 2007
281 Mr. Kehoe asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of students being taught by home tuition here currently; the corresponding figure for the past five years; the amount home tuition is costing annually; the training those who provide home tuition must have; and the checks her Department carry out in order to ensure that the required number of hours tuition is being provided. [9338/07]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has sanctioned a home tuition grant to approximately 900 students in the current school year. The corresponding figures for the past five years are not readily available in my Department. However, my officials have recently revised its record keeping arrangements and this information will be maintained going forward. The cost of providing home tuition for all children is currently in excess of €8 million annually. A recent review of a number of applications for home tuition highlighted some cause for concern regarding the qualifications of proposed tuition providers. Following the review of qualifications, which took place in consultation with my Department's Inspectorate, an extended list of qualifications acceptable under the scheme has been published. This list is available on my Department's website. Aside from recognised teaching qualifications such as the Bachelor in Education and approved Montessori training, the list includes certain qualifications in autism and in applied approaches to teaching children with autism, such as ABA, PECS and TEACH. Third level qualifications in relevant areas such as psychology may also be appropriate depending on circumstances. Responsibility for ensuring that a child is receiving an appropriate level of education under the terms of the home tuition scheme rests with the parents/guardian of the particular child. In order for my Department to process a claim for home tuition grant payment, the parent/guardian and the tuition provider must certify the extent of tuition that has been delivered to the child in question.
