David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 476: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the further plans she has to improve the circumstances of the Traveler community; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8224/06]

Síle de Valera (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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The needs of the Traveller community are a high priority for my Department. My Department provides additional resources to enhance the education of Traveller children. In 2004-05, my Department spent more than €56 million on Traveller education over and above what is being provided through mainstream education. This expenditure makes special provision to enable members of the Traveller community to successfully access educational services. In summary, this provision includes 45 pre-schools for Travellers, more than 500 resource teachers for Travellers in primary schools, nearly 140 whole-time equivalent posts for Travellers in post primary schools, 40 visiting teachers for Travellers and enhanced capitation grants for Traveller pupils at primary and post primary level. In addition, there are 36 senior Traveller training centres located throughout the country which cater for the needs of Travellers aged 15 years and upwards who have left school early with no qualifications or minimal qualifications. The centres provide a programme of general education, vocational training, work experience as well as guidance, counselling, psychological services and child care services. Approximately 10% of students at these centres are from the settled community. Travellers may chose from mainstream literacy provision or they may attend Traveller specific literacy programmes which nineteen vocational education committees provide.

In 2002, the Department published two documents, Guidelines on Traveller Education in Primary Schools and Guidelines on Traveller Education in Second Level Schools. The guidelines highlight the Department's policy on integration, set out information on Traveller culture and provide advice on responding to the educational needs of the Traveller students. In May 2005, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment published the document Guidelines on Intercultural Education in Primary Schools. This publication, along with the guidelines on traveller education in primary and second level schools, provides information and seeks to increase and improve understanding of diversity. The NCCA is due to publish guidelines on intercultural education for post-primary schools this year. The gender equality unit in my Department is supporting Pavee Point with a research project on the development of appropriate mechanisms to monitor educational access, participation and outcomes by gender for Travellers and the further education section is funding Pavee Point, through the education equality initiative, for a project on parents and Traveller education.

The National Office for Equity of Access to Higher Education, established in 2003, aims to facilitate increasing higher education participation by a number of target groups and the Traveller community is one of its target groups. I await the publication of a report that was prepared by my inspectorate to address the findings of a survey of Traveller education provision. The report is based on an extensive review of the participation and inclusion of Traveller pupils in 30 primary and 6 post-primary schools. The report will provide recommendations which will inform policies and provide strategies to facilitate schools in enhancing the education provision for Travellers at a national level. I expect to receive shortly a report on the recommendations for a five-year Traveller education strategy. The report will span the full spectrum of lifelong learning from pre-school to adult and further education and emphasise the important role that Traveller parents have in their own education and that of their children. The report is in the final stages of preparation and has had as one of the core principles guiding its authors the notion of inclusion. The two reports to which I have referred will provide me with advice and guidance on how best to continue to cater and improve the education provision for the Traveller community.