Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

My second question concerns early school leavers in DEIS schools. This age group includes those aged between 13 and 16 and, like their peers, they have been out of school since March. That has taken a heavy toll on that age group and these students are at disproportionate risk of leaving school early. Has the Department made provision regarding class sizes and extra resources for those students in DEIS schools?

My educational background was in DEIS schools in Neilstown, although I do not think it was the DEIS scheme back then. It was a completely different experience. I am probably showing my age, but it has been about 30 years since I did my leaving certificate and that was a completely different educational experience from what it is in Clondalkin now. When I was doing my leaving certificate, only a small number of people went on to third level education. Now, I think it is more than 35% of people in Collinstown. That is brilliant because education can set us free from the disadvantage of economics. However, are resources available for school leavers? I refer to these students in particular because they are at the age where they can fall through the cracks for all sorts of reasons. Can the Department provide extra resources for that age group in particular?

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