November 2004
School Attendance Agency looks for €6.1 million extra in Budget 2005
The National Educational Welfare Board
The National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) today called on the Government to increase the agency’s funding by €6.1 million in 2005 so that it can realistically increase participation in school and reduce absenteeism throughout the country.
Launching the agency’s pre-budget submission in a presentation to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Science, CEO Eddie Ward said that despite huge growth in education expenditure over the past decade, many young people and children were still missing out on their right to an education simply because they were missing out on substantial periods of school.
The additional budget would bring the NEWB’s total budget to €12.6 million, representing less than 1% of the total education budget. This would allow the NEWB to bring 95 new staff on board, 87 of whom would be working on the ground with parents, children and schools around the country. The Board currently has 84 staff, 73 of whom are involved in direct service delivery.
“With adequate funding, the NEWB can start to work realistically on preventing absenteeism in Ireland. Without adequate resources, the service is in danger of developing only as a reactive, fire-fighting agency, leaving large swaths of the country without an effective service” Eddie Ward said.
He continued “Our primary aims for 2005 are to reduce the Education Welfare Officer to student ratio from 1:12,000 to 1:5,000 and to provide a service in the nine counties that currently do not have one. We also aim to appoint more EWOS in areas of greatest need, as identified in the country’s first school attendance data.”
This school attendance data shows that Ireland has a high level of absenteeism. Primary school pupils miss 11 days on average out of a school year of 183 days and secondary school pupils miss 15 days out of 167. One in ten primary school pupils and one in five secondary school students miss more than 20 days. The problem is more acute in areas of disadvantage where almost one in four students in both primary and secondary schools miss more than 20 days.
“Targeting funding specifically and consistently towards school attendance is one of the most effective ways of tackling educational disadvantage and poverty,” Chairperson Dr. Ann Louise Gilligan said. “Low school attendance is closely linked with early school leaving, itself the most salient manifestation of disadvantage and poverty.”
“All the evidence suggests that high levels of investment in education, and particularly investment in early education, lead to improved economic performance, increased social inclusion, lower crime, reduced welfare dependence and better health” she added.
“We are asking for this money on behalf of the many vulnerable children we work with everyday so that they can have a better chance in life from the start,” she concluded.
Why The NEWB Needs Additional Resources
Currently, there is 1 EWO for every 12,000 students entitled to receive a service from the Board. The international norm is 1:3,000;
At the end of June 2004, the Board had 10,572 cases on hand, representing an impractical caseload of 167 per officer.
84,000 primary and post primary students under 16 years of age missed 20 days or more during the 2003/2004 school year. Under the Education Welfare Act (2000), any child missing 20 days or more is entitled to receive the support of an EWO - a potential caseload of over 1,300 per EWO;
9 counties do not have an EWO.
How the money will be spent?
• Recruitment of 95 additional staff and related expenditure
67 Educational Welfare Officers
20 Senior Educational Welfare Officers
5 Senior Educational Welfare Officers to carry out education assessments for children not attending recognised schools
1 Research Officer
2 Administrative Staff
For more information contact:
Stuart M. Kenny, Tel: 01 2869138 / 087 2619658
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