Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome this opportunity to address the House. I look forward to engaging with Members of both Houses as we seek to address some of the important challenges that are currently facing the higher education sector. I look forward to engaging with colleagues from all parties and none on the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education and Skills, which has a most important task regarding higher education. It is examining the Cassells report, commissioned by the former Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn. I really hope it can reach broad agreement on the most appropriate sustainable future funding model for higher education.

Until the committee concludes its work, it is premature and disrespectful to the committee and its members to discuss the funding options for higher education at this point. Many of the committee members spoke today, including Senators Ó Clochartaigh, Ruane, Gallagher and Byrne. I believe Deputy Joan Burton represents the Labour Party on the education committee.

Senator John O'Mahony asked me a direction question as to whether the decision was made regarding the income-contingent loans. May I say loud and clear that this Government has not made a decision? What we have done is tasked the education committee, which is cross-party in nature, with examining this issue. If our Oireachtas committee system is to work, it is right that the Government should await its deliberations.

I have listened very carefully today and have heard excellent contributions. I do not want this debate to be divisive, based on left-right politics, or to be ideological; what I want is the committee to come back to me. We will respectfully consider its deliberations. As Minister of State responsible for higher education, I will do so.

The motion, as tabled, contains a number of sentiments with which I am in total agreement: the importance of promoting equality of access across the education spectrum for all citizens; the benefits that accrue to individuals and the wider economy and society as a result of increased access to educational opportunities; and the recognition that there is a significant funding challenge in higher education, clearly identified in the Cassells report, that must be addressed in order to provide a more sustainable future funding model for higher education. I do not agree, however, that we should be seeking to pre-empt or undermine in any way the work of the Joint Committee on Education and Skills. Today, I met the Chairman and learned there have been many hours of deliberations with the stakeholders. The committee is currently considering the funding options that are contained in the Cassells report.

A key role of the joint committee is to build political consensus on the most appropriate future funding model for higher education. I do not believe that the motion, as currently tabled, contributes towards that objective. For that reason, I will not be supporting it.That does not mean a decision has been made, however. I do not want the message to go out that we have made a decision. We have not.

As Minister of State with responsibility for higher education, I am committed to promoting access to third level for all of our citizens. However, in recognition of the importance of education as a key enabler in breaking down cycles of disadvantage, the Department is promoting access and widening participation across the full education continuum.

In the early years sector, the Department works closely with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs to ensure children have the best start available in terms of their educational and social development. This includes universal provision complemented by specific supports for children from less advantaged backgrounds. While Members spoke about primary and secondary schooling, preschool is important, as well as third and fourth level, lifelong, apprenticeship and skills training.

In the school sector, the Department is investing more than €100 million in 2017 to support the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools, DEIS, plan. DEIS is the Department’s main policy initiative to tackle educational disadvantage in schools. It provides supports to learners to participate, succeed and contribute effectively to society in a changing world. The overall objective of the 2017 DEIS plan is to target resources at identified educational need by ensuring schools catering for the highest concentrations of children at risk of educational disadvantage are fully supported to optimise improved educational outcomes. The plan identifies more than 100 actions to contribute to that objective. Key actions include prioritising school leaders and teachers in DEIS schools for professional leadership training. All post-primary schools participating in the school support programme will have access to a dedicated career guidance counsellor. The plan involves strengthening the connections between preschools and primary schools. Schools will set specific targets, including targets for literacy and numeracy, and will evaluate these annually. A new school excellence fund will support the implementation of new interventions while book rental schemes will become mandatory for schools participating in the school support programme. There will be a greater prioritisation of the National Educational Psychological Service to DEIS schools and supporting transitions from school to further and higher education.

A critical element of the new DEIS plan is also the involvement of other Departments and agencies in the delivery of key actions. The new DEIS plan is also underpinned by a new identification process for educational disadvantage which provided a robust evidence base for the targeting of resources at those most in need. This new identification process resulted in over 70 new schools which will begin to receive supports in the 2017-18 school year. A further 30 schools will receive increased supports as a result of moving from DEIS band 2 to DEIS band 1. The new identification process is also more responsive to demographic change in school communities.

The Department is promoting educational opportunities through the further education and training sector for school leavers, as well as those who are availing of second chance education and upskilling opportunities or both. In total, the Government is investing over €800 million in further education and training annually through SOLAS and the education and training boards. Further education training programmes are delivered nationwide in a wide range of settings including post-leaving certificate and further education colleges.

We are also investing in apprenticeships as a pathway to sustainable employment. The programme for Government commits to providing 31,000 apprenticeship places by 2020. The Action Plan for Education states 50,000 people will be enrolled on apprenticeship and traineeship programmes in the period to 2020. Last year, we saw the first of the new apprenticeships developed by the Apprenticeship Council, following its first call for proposals in 2015. Three further new apprenticeships got under way last month. A key commitment set out in the plan for this year is the issuing of a second call for proposals for new apprenticeships. As well as developments in new apprenticeships, registrations in the craft trades are rising as the employment and economic situation improves. Registrations at the end of June were almost 40% ahead of the same period in 2016.

In my area of higher education, the Department is active in promoting access and widening participation. Although access statistics show the position in most disadvantaged areas has still not improved, we need to do something different in this regard. The overall policy framework is provided by the national plan for equity of access to higher education. Its vision is to ensure the student body entering into, participating in and completing higher education at all levels reflects the diversity and social mix of the population.

The plan contains more than 30 actions to achieve these targets including: addressing the issue of non-progression in higher education; developing a system for recognition of prior learning; developing measures to promote participation in initial teacher education by target students; developing measures to engage directly with communities where participation in higher education is low; and developing a data plan to measure progress. Implementation of the plan is being supported by investment of approximately €450 million in 2017. The Department provides a suite of supports intended to assist students from disadvantaged backgrounds, as well as other under-represented groups, to overcome financial barriers to accessing and completing higher education. The main support is provided through the student grant scheme which will benefit approximately 80,000 students in 2017 at a cost of €380 million. Students in third level institutions experiencing exceptional financial need can also apply for support under the student assistance fund. More than 77,000 third-level students have been supported by this fund over the past six years. For students with disabilities, the fund for students with disabilities provides funding for the delivery of key services and reasonable accommodations. It benefits approximately 10,000 students each year.