Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As Minister for Education, I welcome the opportunity to provide a brief outline of the key initiatives that have marked two years in education and indeed two years in government. In that time my Department has presided over an ambitious programme of delivery across myriad areas, including more than €1.5 billion invested in a proactive schools building programme; in excess of €600 million in funding to support schools through Covid-19; an overall budget in excess of €2 billion per year on special education for the first time; the most significant expansion of the DEIS programme which seeks to deliver equality of opportunity in schools at an additional cost of €32 million, bringing the total investment to more than €180 million; a reduction in the primary school pupil-teacher ratio in every budget since the formation of this Government to 24:1, which is the lowest in the history of the State; an historic, innovative and student-centred reform of senior cycle that will empower students to meet the challenges of the 21st century-----

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