Factsheets - Education and Cultural Rights
Published November 2005: Leaflet on Travellers and Education
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The rights of children, including Travellers, to an education that accommodates and respects their culture and is free from discrimination are elaborated in various international instruments. Article 4 of the UNESCO Convention Against Discrimination in Education 1960 obliges governments to develop and apply policy in such a way as to 'promote equality of opportunity adn of treatment in the matter of education'. "Children of minority communities and indigenous people have the right to enjoy their own culture, to practice their own religion and to use their own language," (Article 30, UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, see also Article 2 and 29).
Policy Changes
Traveller education policy from the 1960s to the 1980s contradicted these rights. Education was viewed as a tool of settlement, or to put it starkly, a way of taking the Traveller out of the Traveller child. Nonetheless, despite the assimilationst aims, provision tended to be characterised by segregation, with most Travellers who attended schools in 'special' all-Traveller classes. In practice this meant that many schools had one teacher who catered for all the Traveller children together, regardless of age, in one classroom. Over the last decade, this approach has been largely abandoned in favour of age appropriate, integrated provision. This has not happened without ojbections and in 2001 there were two high profile protests where settled parents withdrew their children en masse from school rather than allow this placement of Traveller children in classes with their children.
While full integration is the policy, practice on the ground varies. Many schools now withdraw Traveller children from class for learning support with Resource Teachers for Travellers. While Resource Teachers are a great asset, there are concerns about how this system is operating. Interculturalism is another key issue identified.
Traveller Strategy
The Department of Education and Science is currently developing a Traveller Education Strategy through the Advisory Committee on Traveller Education and the Educational Disadvantage Committee. One of the challenges for a Traveller Education Strategy is to ensure equality of outcomes for Travellers. In 2003, 46 million euro was spent on Traveller education. Pavee Point has, for many years, called for a review of how resources are spent as the statistics below show that equality of outcome is not being achieved for Travellers.
Statistics
The National Traveller Education Officer estimates that in 2002/2003:
- 5500 Traveller children attended primary schools
- 1608 Traveller children attend mainstream post-primary schools (40% of all Traveller children of post-primary age)
- The national retention rate to Junior Cert is 94.3%. For Traveller pupils the rate was only 51%.
- Sixty two Traveller children attended 6th year post-primary
- Visiting teachers estimate in 2002 - 16 Travellers attended third level
