Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)

Deputy Barrett spoke earlier about an antiquated aspect of the educational system. There are positive aspects to this scheme. It was administered by one person and the total administration cost was about €25,000 per year. We are concerned here with the north Inishowen area of Donegal. In my constituency of Donegal North East, 53% of young males leave school at 16. That compares with a national figure of 35%. That is a massive disparity.

In this scheme, four national schools came together to provide support and capacity between parents and teachers, started engaging with communities, and increased the level of student participation at national school. The results are transparent and are there to see. This has been an outstanding success since 2001.

See this speech in context