Ms Elva O'Callaghan:

I thank the joint committee for giving me the opportunity to address it. I am the co-ordinator of the Yellow Flag programme, the eight step innovative whole-school initiative which supports schools in promoting inclusion, challenging racism and celebrating diversity. The programme guides schools in communicating the values of equality and inclusion and accessing staff training on equality and diversity. We ask them to survey students and parents on their current experiences of schools and develop action plans to put in place curricular and extra-curricular activities that promote interculturalism. Schools must also develop a whole-school diversity code and review and develop their policies to ensure an inclusive and respectful environment and robust mechanisms are in place to address and tackle racism.

Schools must present documented evidence of their work which is assessed by an external panel on completion to determine achievement of the Yellow Flag. The Yellow Flag is an initiative of the Irish Traveller Movement, given the long-term evidence derived from its members, as Mr. Bernard Joyce alluded to, of the negative experience of Travellers within the education system and the need for school-based solutions.

Issues such as conscious and unconscious bias, exclusion on the basis of identity or historical prejudice, absence of Travellers in teaching and school management, institutional racism and poor awareness or knowledge of Traveller culture have a highly detrimental effect on young people's education and learning, and also on their sense of identity and self-belief. What informs the programme and its practical approach is the recognition of the attitudes, policies and practices within schools and how they influence daily life and the essential role they play in building positive educational environments, in addition to the adoption of national intercultural and anti-racism policy and regulations.

Traveller students continue to face discrimination in schools. We see that manifesting in many hiding their identity and changing their accent for fear of being bullied or treated less favourably by teaching staff and their fellow students. We recommend that an anti-bullying education programme, not just guidelines, be introduced in every school. Reports of discrimination in education settings are still evident to us, ranging from name-calling to physical assault, social exclusion and institutional practices which reduce Traveller student timetables or segregate them from other students. These are frequently reported to the Irish Traveller Movement. Even with all of the resources that the Yellow Flag can offer, it can be hard to challenge discrimination among teachers and school managers, which can be either conscious or sometimes unconscious or based on hidden biases. Mandatory anti-racist and intercultural training or continuous professional development for teaching staff has been proposed in a number of statutory policies but is not available in practice.

The Irish Traveller Movement is very conscious of the need to expand the Yellow Flag and to strengthen the impact it can have on the education system. It is important to note that there is no other programme like the Yellow Flag currently operating in the country. We have worked with 88 schools across 13 counties, reaching more than 30,000 students and more than 2,500 teachers. However, to date, there has been no investment by the Department of Education and Skills or the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, both of which have aims across a range of objectives and policies which are commensurate with our own. I thank the committee and am happy to answer any questions members may have.