Education provision for Travellers and Roma is provided in accordance with my Department’s policy of inclusion. A number of Traveller-specific supports remain in the system to assist with the transition to the mainstream system of pupils, previously provided for in segregated provision. These comprise of 141 alleviation resource teacher posts for schools with significant numbers of Travellers at a current cost of €8.46 million and additional pupil capitation for Travellers at a current cost of €1.11m (€70 per Primary pupil and €201 per Post Primary pupil). In the past 3 years a total of €30.3 million has been spend on additional supports for traveller pupils in the school system.
Education provision for Travellers and Roma is made on a national basis as is my Department’s engagement with Traveller representative groups which takes place in the context of the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion strategy.
Implementation of the education component of the national strategy is being undertaken in the context of DEIS Plan 2017 which identifies more than 100 actions in support of tackling educational disadvantage to ensure that every child, including Traveller and Roma children, can achieve their potential. Those actions include:
-A renewed focus on measures to improve attendance, participation and retention of Travellers, Roma and other students at particular risk of poor engagement with education and early school leaving;
-Collaboration between the DES, Tusla and Traveller Representative Groups on measures to improve Traveller and Roma engagement with education in the context of the National Traveller & Roma Inclusion Strategy;
-An evaluation of current Traveller-specific resources in schools.
DEIS Plan 2017 actions in relation to Travellers and Roma reflect the need for improved collaboration between the DES, Tusla, and Traveller representative groups to achieve increased attendance, retention and progression levels for Traveller children and young people in order to improve their prospects of better educational outcomes and overall life chances.
Also, my Department’s National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education 2015-19 contains a number of specific measures to increase the number of students from under-represented groups, including Travellers and Roma in higher education and implementation measures include the recently announced allocation of €2.4m over three years to provide for increased diversity in initial teacher education.
