Joint Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community to discuss Traveller education with Minister for Children

The meeting will discuss the topic of school completion rates and educational attainment of Travellers, in particular when compared to the settled population, and related matters.

Representatives from the Department of Education Mary Cregg, Principal Officer, Social Inclusion Unit and Brendan Doody, Assistant Chief Inspector will also address the meeting. 

Leas-Chathaoirleach of the Committee Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív said: “The level of educational attainment remains stubbornly low despite many policy initiatives over the years. While improvements in Traveller educational outcomes have taken place in recent years, they continue to lag behind the general population. According to figures from the Department of Education, the percentage of Travellers completing the Leaving Certificate remains low at 22%.” 

“Traveller children were at the sharp end of the pandemic due to prolonged school closures and inadequate accommodation. It is welcome that a Covid-19 Learning and Support Scheme (CLASS) has been put in place to help schools mitigate the adverse impacts of Covid-19 on students and we must plan ahead to ensure Traveller children do not miss out on vital education.” 

“School attendance presents a challenge to some members of the Traveller community and I look forward to hearing from the representatives from the Department of Education about the actions that can be taken to remove the barriers impacting their attendance.” 

“The National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy (NTRIS) 2017-2021 was launched in June 2017 to address some of the issues faces by Travellers.

It represents a whole of Government approach and encompasses themes such as Cultural Identity; Education; Employment; Health and Accommodation, all of which are very relevant to this Committee. We would be very interested to hear what happens next.” 

The Joint Committee on Key issues affecting the Traveller Community has 14 Members, nine from the Dáil and five from the Seanad. 

You can view the meeting in Committee Room 4 on the Oireachtas website. 

More information can be found on the dedicated Committee Webpage. Committee proceedings can also be viewed on the Houses of the Oireachtas Smartphone App, available for Apple and Android devices.