Michael Mullins (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Sherlock.

Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail)
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Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. Níl a fhios agam an mbeadh sé iomlán compordach dá labharfainn go hiomlán trí Ghaeilge. Baineann an rún seo le scoláireachtaí Gaeltachta. Go dtí seo, bhí deis ag páistí meánscolaíochta ar fud na Gaeltachta buntáiste a bhaint as na scoláireachtaí a bhí ar fáil ó 1916. Bhí scoláirí a bhí ag freastal ar scoileanna Gaeltachta agus ag fáil a gcuid oideachais trí mheán na Gaeilge in ann cur isteach ar scoláireachtaí a thug deis dóibh dul ar aghaidh go dtí oideachas tríú leibhéal. I gcásanna áirithe, bhí páistí ag iarraidh dul ar aghaidh go dtí an ollscoil. Gan an scéim seo, ní bheadh an deis sin acu de bhrí nach raibh an t-airgead ag a dteaghlaigh. Ar an drochuair, rinne an Rialtas cinneadh deireadh a chur leis na scoláireachtaí Gaeltachta, mar a bhí, agus iad a dhíriú ar meánscoileanna DEIS amháin. Cuireann sé sin isteach ar an scoil atá luaite sa rún agam. Ritheann sé go huile is go hiomlán in éadan an méid atá ráite sa straitéis 20 bliain don Ghaeilge. As the Minister of State might not understand the Donegal dialect of Irish, I will repeat in English the point I have made about the scoláireachtaí Gaeltachta, or Irish language scholarships, that were available to students in Gaeltacht areas who were attending second level education. The scheme in question gave such students an opportunity to obtain assistance that allowed them to go to university and promote the Irish language in third and fourth level education. The Minister for Education and Skills announced earlier this year that the qualification criteria for that scheme were to be changed. As a result, these scholarships are now confined to students from DEIS secondary schools.

Pobal Scoil Gaoth Dobhair is the only full-time Irish-language second-level school in any Gaeltacht area in the country. The full curriculum is delivered to the approximately 400 pupils who attend the school through the medium of Irish. The school's leaving certificate results are second to none. The school is located in an area of high unemployment where many people are eligible for medical cards. Each of the seven or eight primary schools that send their pupils to Pobal Scoil Gaoth Dobhair is a DEIS school. Therefore, all of the kids who attend the secondary school in question come from DEIS schools. In that context, I do not understand why the Government has decided to withdraw DEIS status from Pobal Scoil Gaoth Dobhair. When one examines the poverty and deprivation statistics for the area, it appears to meet all the criteria. The only criterion it might not meet is that relating to educational outcomes. Its pupils should not be penalised as a result of the quality of teaching and their willingness to learn.

If the DEIS status of Pobal Scoil Gaoth Dobhair were to be reinstated, its pupils would qualify for the new scholarship arrangement. Although that is one possible solution, it is not the best one. The best solution would be to revert to the old method, which was established by Pádraig Pearse in 1916, whereby Gaeltacht scholarships were awarded to students from the Irish language-speaking parts of this country. A person from a Gaeltacht area who is fulfilling his or her second level education through the medium of Irish should get a financial benefit if he or she gets a certain amount of points in the leaving certificate. The former approach, whereby a scholarship was provided to enable a pupil to go on to third level education if his or her family could not afford to send him or her to do so, had stood the test of time until it was changed by the Minister, Deputy Quinn, in recent months. That decision will have drastic consequences for Pobal Scoil Gaoth Dobhair - between seven and ten Gaeltacht scholarships are awarded to the school every year - and other secondary schools in Gaeltacht areas. As a result of the change I have mentioned, not one pupil in the school will be entitled to a scholarship next September. If previous trends had continued, up to ten students would have been able to avail of this scheme.

Michael Mullins (Fine Gael)
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The Senator's time is up.

Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail)
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This is an area of high unemployment. It meets all of the deprivation statistics. I have spoken to members of the parents' committee in the school who are of the firm opinion that the withdrawal of these scholarships has the potential to mean that some students will not be able to afford to go to third level education. That is wrong. I know of secondary schools in other parts of the country with DEIS status that do not meet the same criteria that this school does. There are two issues. First, the overriding issue of the change in scholarship policy. Second, why has a school with DEIS status, along with all of the feeder national schools, been withdrawn?

Michael Mullins (Fine Gael)
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I have allowed the Senator great latitude.

Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Acting Chairman.

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Let me first state that I apologise for not being able to engage with the Senator as proficiently as possible through the medium of Irish. Perhaps that is a reflection on the rota of Ministers who reply and perhaps he should have been afforded the opportunity of a full reply as gaeilge.

I am pleased to have the opportunity to address the Senator about DEIS status for Pobal Scoil Gaoth Dobhair, County Donegal and scholarships for Gaeltacht students. The process of identifying schools for participation in DEIS was managed by the Educational Research Centre on behalf of the Department of Education and Skills and supported by quality assurance work co-ordinated through the Department's regional offices and inspectorate. Second level schools were selected by reference to centrally held data from the post-primary pupils and the State Examinations Commission databases. The identification process was in line with international best practice and had regard to, and employed, the existing and most appropriate data sources available. The school referred to by the Senator was not selected for inclusion in DEIS. A review mechanism was put in place that did not quality for inclusion in the school support programme under DEIS. An appeal by the school to the independent review body confirmed that the level of disadvantage did not warrant its inclusion in the DEIS process. None of the existing schools that was unsuccessful in the initial identification and subsequent review process was ever admitted to the DEIS programme. A key priority for the Department is to prioritise and target resources in schools with the most concentrated levels of educational disadvantage. That challenge is significant given the economic climate and the target to reduce public expenditure. It also reduces the capacity for any additions to the DEIS programme, including the selection of further schools.

As announced in the 2012 budget, five scholarship schemes for higher education, namely the Easter Week 1916 commemoration scholarship scheme, an scéim scoláireachtaí tríú leibhéal do scoláirí ón nGaeltacht, an scéim scoláireachtaí gaeilge tríú leibhéal neamh-theoranta, an scéim scoláireachtaí tríú leibhéal and the Donogh O'Malley scholarship scheme will be replaced with a new single scheme of bursaries based on merit and financial need. These earlier scholarships, with one exception, were awarded without the application of socio-economic criteria. The new bursaries are specifically designed to target students attending DEIS schools in disadvantaged areas and also indicating a level of personal or family disadvantage by virtue of having qualified for a medical card. The bursary will be an extra support and incentive to recognise high achievement for students from disadvantaged families and attending DEIS schools. The change was made to make the best use of the limited funds we have available for bursaries in order to focus on the best performing students in the cohort of those who are most in need of financial help. It is envisaged that 60 students will receive a bursary this September and the number will rise over each of next three years with more than 350 students per year benefiting by 2015. These changes will not impact on those who already hold scholarships under the existing schemes and the principal financial support made available by the Department of Education and Skills to facilitate access to third level education continues to be the means tested student grant.

Other financial measures to support broader access and participation include the provision of the special rate of maintenance grant for students from welfare dependent families and the availability of the student assistant fund at college level to assist students in particular financial difficulties. From the academic year 2012-13 onwards grants will be centrally administered by a single grant awarding authority, Student Universal Support Ireland, SUSI, a division of the City of Dublin VEC. SUSI will administer the student grants scheme on behalf of the Department. A new online-only grant application system has also been introduced to facilitate applications.

Michael Mullins (Fine Gael)
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A final question, Senator Ó Domhnaill.

Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail)
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I appreciate the Minister of State's comments and thank him for his attendance. His response is contradictory when one reads it. On the one hand, the DEIS status is being given to schools on the basis of exam results and was clearly outlined by him. It is not exclusively based on exam results but it is almost. These scholarships are being provided on socio-economic criteria. It should be the other way around. It should be socio-economic qualifying criteria for DEIS. It is the poorest schools that should be in DEIS and not the ones that achieve the best exam results due to their teachers being better. It is disappointing. The people who deserve these scholarships, particularly those with an excellent grasp of the Irish language living inside or outside of a Gaeltacht, should be given the opportunity of availing of grants that were established by Pádraig Pearse in 1916.

Michael Mullins (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for attending.

Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail)
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Will the Acting Chairman allow the Minister of State to respond?

Michael Mullins (Fine Gael)
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Yes, a final word.

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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I acknowledge the point made by the Senator but there cannot be a geographical bias for bursaries either. We must have regard for the economic circumstances that we find ourselves in.

Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail)
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Go raibh maith agat.