Ms Nessa White:

I thank the committee for the opportunity to address it today and I am very pleased to make a statement on behalf of ETBI and the 16 education and training boards, ETBs, we represent. Much of what is included in my submission has been covered by previous speakers so I will be brief.

Our response was submitted as two separate submissions dealing with progression to second level education and progression to third level education, taking in further education and training. ETBs are statutory authorities with responsibility for education and training, youth work and a range of other statutory functions.

ETBs manage and operate community national schools, second level schools, further education colleges and a range of adult and further education centres in communities throughout Ireland.

We looked at progression in preparing for today and there is evidence that members of the Traveller community have access to a range of further education programmes within our ETBs and they are a priority target group in programme planning. In evaluating the progression of the Traveller community, it is noted that there are high levels of participation recorded within the Youthreach provision. Youthreach programmes cater for young people over the age of 16 who have dropped out of mainstream education.

The challenges of literacy and participation have been mentioned. Despite literacy levels being frequently cited as low within the Traveller community, participation of this group in literacy and numeracy programmes remains a challenge. Many of the other programmes delivered in ETBs across the country, like the back to education initiative, skills for work and apprenticeship programmes all aim to support adults who have low education attainment who wish to progress further or to develop personally, but these are still challenged with low participation rates within the Traveller community. However, some community education programmes are delivered based on the requirements of a community and we see strong and positive engagement in programmes like men's sheds and women's sheds and other areas in the community identifying a need.

With respect to second level education, education and training boards have a long-standing tradition of supporting the educational development of members of the Traveller community. As State schools, ETB schools are open to all pupils, regardless of any aspect of their identity. Our school cultures are underpinned by the core values of excellence, care, equality, community and being multidenominational. However, as always, today is a setting providing me the opportunity to learn and be reminded of the issues. Ongoing research, including evidence from today, indicates that engagement with parents is crucial in order to bring change. As mentioned earlier, the negative experience of Traveller parents in schools and their possibly low rate of educational attainment are key influencers in determining the progress of their own children. The links between home and school are crucial.

We can look at the barriers to education in further education as cited in a 2017 SOLAS report, which cites low confidence and self-esteem, a negative experience of education, childcare issues, transport, a loss or reduction in benefits, the suitability of courses and a lack of awareness of what is available as barriers. Many of the barriers contained in the report could also be identified as barriers in post-primary education. The Action Plan for Education and many Government policy documents outline targets but as was mentioned earlier, some of those targets are not being met.

While the participation of the Traveller community is low in some areas, as referenced above, continued engagement with SOLAS, the Department of Education and Skills and key stakeholders, some of whom I have met today, will help in bringing improvements. There should be consideration of the provision of an allowance on a pilot basis to those programmes that do not currently attract an allowance and interventions need to be in place at the early stage of education and on a continuum to encourage ongoing participation with education. Clarity should be provided on the retention of social welfare and other benefits, as on occasion, this can result in non-participation in education programmes. Schools need support in identifying and accessing services and resources beyond those provided by the Department of Education and Skills, and a mapping exercise should be conducted in this regard. As was mentioned on a number of occasions, there should be training programmes and continuing professional development for teachers. There should be a reintroduction of a repurposed support officer for Traveller services, thus strengthening the links between home and schools.There should be a framework to encourage schools, further education and training colleges and centres to evaluate and measure the current practice of engaging and supporting students. There should be a system for tracking pupils as they go from primary to post-primary levels and on to further and higher education. There should also be a review of childcare provision to support the Traveller community in accessing education, and we should address the challenge of transport costs in terms of rural provision and access.

I thank the committee for the opportunity to engage, listen and learn this afternoon.