Michelle Mulherin (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the introduction of this Bill, which addresses the issue of support for the internationalisation of higher education within the State. I support the Minister's endeavours on the issues arising therefrom.

I want to take this opportunity to raise a local education issue. In an interview on a radio programme - I believe it was last Thursday morning - the Minister described the recent education initiatives that have been pursued by the Department with great success. In particular, she mentioned the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools, DEIS, initiative and the beneficial influence it has had in terms of school attendance and student dropout rates, which have an effect on social problems into the future. DEIS, in particular, in helpful in certain area where we know there is social and educational disadvantage. I take the opportunity to raise this matter as I have tried other routes, including a Topical Issue debate. It is not so easy being a backbench Government Deputy, despite what is often said here about Members' ability to speak. The people who get to speak the least in this Chamber are Government backbench Deputies. The matter I raise is the DEIS status of a school in the barony of Erris, in the west of my county. Inver national school failed to be approved for DEIS status ten years ago. That was not because there is not social disadvantage in the area, or the pupils' parents are any better off than the parents of pupils in all the other schools in the Erris area that have been awarded DEIS status, but quite simply because a form was not returned at the time. The reason it was not returned is a separate issue, but it has been established that the form was not returned and it has also been established who was culpable for that. It was not the parents, it was not the board of management and it definitely was not the children. This is rural area with a dispersed population in which there are many small schools, and every one of them has been awarded DEIS status except this school.

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