Deputy Pearse Doherty, has said that the DEIS plan 2017 announced by the Minister for Education and Skills this week is inadequate, and will not even restore DEIS funding to 2015 levels.
Deputy Doherty has also criticised the exclusion of a number of Donegal schools from the revised programme in which significant levels of disadvantage remains a major issue.
Deputy Doherty said “While I welcome the publication of the new DEIS plan and support many of the measures outlined therein, it is clear that the plans stop far short of adequately tackling educational disadvantage.
“The paltry addition of 10 NEPS psychologists for DEIS schools will not be enough to provide designated schools with the additional support they require to effectively address the many behavioural issues that accompany educational disadvantage, while the amount of additional funding allocated will mean that the overall spend by the Department as part of DEIS will fall short of 2015 spending levels.
“The current allocation of €97 million for DEIS is €13 million short of the 2015 expenditure of €110 million and the additional €5 million provided for in the plan for 2017 will not even restore the funding levels to this point.
“This is despite the fact that the overall levels of DEIS funding have reduced by almost €20 million between 2008 and 2015, from €193 million to €174 million.
“In the meantime the numbers of children in disadvantaged households have grown, as evidenced by figures from the European Anti – Poverty Network which shows that the level of children living in consistent poverty in Ireland rose from 6.3% in 2008 to 11.5% in 2015.
“Furthermore, it is also highly questionable why a number of schools located throughout Donegal, many on whose behalf I have personally made representations to the Minister previously, have not been included as part of this expanded programme.
“Indeed the fact that the Minister has identified at least 80 additional schools to be included in the DEIS scheme as announced shows that the level of educational disadvantage has risen since the moratorium on new DEIS schools introduced in 2009.
“Sinn Féin made provision in our alternative budget for a number of measures that would help address educational disadvantage, including the full restoration of guidance provision, full restoration of funding for the school completion programme, a 30% increase in the School Books Grant, a 40% increase in the School Meals Programme and an increase of €50 per child in the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance.
“For my part, I pledge to continue to work closely with all schools in demanding that they receive greater recognition and supports for the tremendous work they do each and every day in their local communities, often in the most unfavourable and challenging of circumstances.”
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