Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy James Reilly. It is a pity that the Minister for Education and Skills has left the Chamber as the issue I raise also relates to education. Children from certain household backgrounds are more likely to die young, experience poor health and have literacy problems, yet educational supports for such children have been targeted for cuts. The background to this issue is that for the past six months meetings have been held in a number of local communities to highlight and explain to public representatives what is coming down the track.

For the last six years there has been a 33% cut in the school completion programme. Those schools are now asking for a halt to those cuts. They hear statements from the Tánaiste, Deputy JOan Burton, and the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, to the effect that things will change but they have not seen that happen.

I have visited a number of schools in my constituency recently, including St. Mark's, St. Maelruain's and St. Dominic's, as well as others in Old Bawn, East Tallaght, Killinarden, Brookfield, Fettercairn and Jobstown. Those schools have wall charts of all the different things on their programmes but one could see that after six years those programmes had been gutted and filleted. The schools are saying that the cuts have to stop.

The cuts are affecting the most marginalised students and their families. More cuts is the message coming from the Minister's new agency, Tusla. Talk is cheap but action is really important. Every euro taken from these programmes is a huge loss to society and a kick in the teeth for those communities.

How can the Minister stand over these cuts? Most of us in this House - some of us more strongly than others - believe in the idea of an inclusive and progressive society but that is not happening. Over the last six years, such school programmes have gone backwards instead of progressing.

In real terms, it will mean fewer people attending third level education. Recent figures showed that in Dublin 24 some 16% of school students continue to third-level education, whereas literally down the road in Dublin 6 some 99% of students continue to third level. That is the sort of divide that exists in our society. It comes down to the fact that if children leave school early they have nowhere to go. They will not go into well paid jobs. Many of them will be hanging around street corners while some will get involved in drug dealing and other criminal activity. It makes sense to provide such supports, including monitoring school attendance.

The OECD has reported that 93% of young people complete second-level education in Ireland compared to the OECD average of 84%. People around the world are examining the Irish model, so what have we got right? We are literally filleting it and tearing it up.

I hope the Minister will have some answers. Everyone will be looking at the next budget but some schools have already been told that this year's cut is 6.5%. As I said earlier, there has been a 33% cut in the school completion programme in the past six years. It is very hard to stand over this.

Given the Minister's message, are we really sincere about trying to keep young people at school through the school completion programme? If so, we will have to change direction and stop this drift away from the programme.

See this speech in context