13 November 2003
National Educational Welfare Board Disappointed at Estimates

Lead up to Budget presents a window to sway things in favour of the country’s most vulnerable children, says CEO

The National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) said that it was disappointed at the Abridged Estimates for 2004, published today, which indicates that funding for the Board will be only €5.7m. This means that there will be no change in existing levels of service. However, its Chief Executive Officer, Eddie Ward, stressed that the budgetary process is not complete and there is still an opportunity for the Minister for Education & Science, Mr Noel Dempsey T.D. and the Government to increase the allocation for 2004.

The NEWB was set up to encourage school attendance and to ensure that young people receive a minimum education. Many of the children requiring the service are the most vulnerable in society – children who are out of school, children with disabilities, homeless children, children from homes with little tradition of education. In its pre-budget submission, the Board outlined that it needed €25m in Budget 2004 if it was to do its job as laid down in the Educational (Welfare) Act, 2000.

Eddie Ward added that the Board was not just disappointed at the low budget allocation proposed in the Estimates, but concerned at the real possibility that the new national service will not now be developed within the next two years as outlined in the recent submission. In 2003, it looked for funding of €13m but received only €5.4m.

"While we are disappointed and concerned today we are not giving up hope that things will change between now and Budget Day,” Mr Ward said. “We support the Minister’s desire to tackle educational disadvantage. It is well known that targeting funding specifically and consistently towards school attendance is the most effective way of tackling educational disadvantage and, consequently, poverty.”

With €25m in 2004, the NEWB planned to recruit 148 Educational Welfare Officers to bring the total service delivery staff strength to 221. With this complement the Board could deliver its service to almost 600,000 children, or 84% of those entitled to the service by the end of next year. The Board’s aim is to have a full service in place by 2005.

For more information contact: Edel Hackett, Tel: 087-2935207