Education Committee welcomes fact that recommendations from its recent report form part of new supports for island schools

Chair of the Joint Committee on Education and Skills, Fiona O’Loughlin TD, said today, “The Committee published its ‘Report on Challenges Facing Island Schools’ in February (led by Rapporteur, former Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh) addressing the challenges facing island schools and making a number of practical recommendations to counter some of these obstacles. Island communities must be nurtured if they are to flourish and educational supports are a key part of this. These supports will not only support island living, but will also foster the use of the Irish language on islands as well as on the mainland.” 

“The Committee is pleased to see that a number of its recommendations have been accepted by the Minister and form part of the suite of measures announced to support island schools.”

Some of the recommendations made by the Committee and adopted in principle were:

• That school budgets should be increased by at least €20,000 for each post-primary secondary school on an offshore island, to reflect the actual running costs of that school;

• That the formula for teacher allocation on island schools be amended and numbers increased to reflect the unique needs of island schools;

• That independent school status be granted to Coláiste Naomh Eoin, Inis Meáin.

The Committee looks forward to the implementation by the Minister of the remaining recommendations contained in the Report:

• That the allowance for teachers in island schools be reinstated to recognise the additional pressures and constraints of the role;

• That the Minister investigates the possibility of extending the scholarship scheme for island schools and removing the exclusion of Gaeltacht pupils from the eligibility criteria, including liaising with cabinet colleagues where necessary to make this possible;

• That DEIS status to be awarded to the five post-primary island schools;

• That a specific policy to address the needs of island schools is drafted and implemented;

• That a system of ‘island proofing’ be implemented for legislation, policies and initiatives produced by the Department of Education and Skills in the future.

Deputy O’ Loughlin concluded, “While the Committee welcomes the new suite of supports announced by the Minister, we are now calling upon him to look at extending similar supports to primary schools in island communities.”
Read the Committee’s Report Challenges Facing Island Schools here