Catherine Ardagh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Josepha Madigan, for coming to the House today. As we all know Fianna Fáil has a very proud tradition in education. Famously, and radically, in September 1966 Donogh O'Malley announced plans to introduce free second level education, something we take for granted now but at the time was very radical. In 1996 our former colleague, Niamh Bhreathnach, introduced free third level fees, which was a game changer in regard to upskilling our workforce and attracting foreign investment.

In 2005, our colleague on Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and former Minister, Mary Hanafin, introduced the DEIS programme, which is the subject of this Commencement matter and which was a life raft for many communities in parts of the city and country encountering social and economic deprivation. The DEIS model, as we know it, was a game changer for our children. Attainment rates to second and third level education soared but we cannot leave it there, we must still do more.

Spending on education, as the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, will be aware, is money well spent, no matter how it is spent in our education system. However, since the introduction of the DEIS programme, the application process and the selection criteria for DEIS is unfit. Much of the criteria are performance based and just one of the indicators is socioeconomic thus the selection process is penalising some schools for performing well. The DEIS identification process relies on data collected by the primary online database, POD, the post-primary online database, PPOD, and the Central Statistics Office, CSO, when measuring the level of disadvantage in an area. The lack of transparency in the DEIS programme is something that I have previously highlighted. Despite an anomaly as a result of the ongoing housing crisis, this data is still being used as a yardstick for allocating DEIS status to schools.

In a survey I carried out in 2019, together with schools and principals in Dublin 8 and 12, it was clear that the proportion of pupils who were living in what has become known as hidden homelessness was rampant. These are children who are sleeping on their grandparents' or aunts' sofas and not in emergency accommodation for the purposes of attending school. Rather than leave the child in a vulnerable situation, their parents will disclose the address of the grandparent or aunt when asked by the school to provide a home address. This information is then fed into the POD system and ultimately provides a distorted picture of the level of disadvantage in a particular area. I know of three schools in Dublin South Central that were denied DEIS status. Powerstown Education Together in Tyrrelstown is another such school. These schools, including Our Lady of Good Counsel Girls' National School, the Assumption Girls' National School in Walkinstown, Drimnagh Castle Boys' National School and the Powerstown school are an island among DEIS schools in an area. It is unfair that one might have a sister going to one national school and a brother going to another school which is a DEIS school. Being included in the DEIS programme would have provided these schools with additional resources to support children, as it is shown to reduce drop out rates, increase attendance and improve results.

In 2018 the Minister of State, Deputy Robert Troy, asked the then Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Bruton, about the status of the review and at that time he said the review was still under way and not yet complete.

We all agree the DEIS model is a superb one. The Department agrees the selection criteria is not ideal, which is why it is conducting a review. When will the review be complete? It was promised in 2005 and in 2018 the then Minister said it was under way. We are three years on from 2018 so at what stage is it?

It is a super programme and I want to acknowledge the Department's promised additional supports for DEIS schools in budget 2021. This makes me more determined to fight for those schools that have been unfairly excluded from the DEIS programme. We all agree DEIS is magnificent but could the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, let us know where we are with this review process which was promised?