merrion street

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD has today announced the rollout of €450,000 in funding to assist Travellers and Roma students in higher education.

Theinvestment was secured through the Dormant Accounts Funds to ensure that COVID-19 did not widen the already significant gap in higher education between Travellers and the wider population. 

Speaking today, Minister Harris said: “Participation by Travellers in higher education remains at an alarming low level and recent data shows just 61 Travellers in higher education. Only 1% of Travellers have a third level education.

“We have a significant way to go to improving participation rates among the Traveller and Roma community but it will also offer additional supports to people already in Higher Education.

“There is a real risk that the small increases we have seen in recent years could be lost as a result of COVID-19, and this is something my Department is determined to mitigate against.

“This funding marks a 50% increase in the funding secured in 2021. It will have transformative long-term benefits for the Traveller and Roma communities and allow third level institutions broaden their reach people in these marginalised communities.”

The key objectives of the fund will be:

• to ensure that the risks associated with COVID-19 do not serve to widen the existing and very significant gap in participation in higher education by Traveller students;
• to safeguard progress towards increases in participation in higher education by Traveller & Roma Communities during the pandemic;
• to support student success and the achievement of NAP targets for Traveller participation in higher education;
• to enable HEIs to broaden their reach to assist members of the Roma Community;
• To deliver once-off payments/bursaries to Traveller and Roma students in need of resources;
• To offer mentoring and mental health support;
• To improve digital connectivity through the purchase of laptops for second levels students;
• And to strengthen pre-entry supports by working with community partners to assist Traveller students and their families in navigating the process from application stage to registration.

Dr Alan Wall, Chief Executive of the HEA, added: “The HEA welcomes the roll-out of this funding to support students from Traveller and Roma communities.

“In 2021 this Fund enabled higher education institutions to provide supports to Traveller students in the context of the COVID pandemic. However, the impact of COVID-19 continues to exacerbate the challenges faced by Traveller and Roma students when accessing, and participating in, higher education.

“The continuation of this Fund, and its expansion to include Roma students, is an important intervention that will help achieve a more ethnically diverse student body”.

The funding measure is in addition to those already in place to support the Action Plan for Increasing Traveller participation in Higher Education 2019-2021. 

The funding will enable the building of an interagency community approach led by higher education institutions, in collaboration with local Traveller & Roma organisations. It will have transformative long-term benefits for the Traveller and Roma communities.

ENDS

Notes to the Editor

Background

The third National Access Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education (NAP) (2015 – 2021) identifies the target groups that are currently under-represented in higher education, including Irish Travellers. Arising from COVID19, the Department has been concerned that the gains arising from these measures would be lost and as a result actively engaged in ongoing consultation with Traveller representative groups since March 2020. As part of this engagement, it took part in a Forum on Traveller Transfers into Tertiary Education with Pavee Point and the National Travellers Women Forum in 2020 and 2021.  To make a meaningful difference, Dormant Accounts funding has been ring-fenced for HEIs for a second year, with an increase in funding in 2022 from €300,000 in 2021 to €450,000 in 2022. The fund will also support the Roma Community in 2022. The fund will enable development of an interagency community approach led by HEIs, in collaboration with local Traveller Organisations. It will support and promote the building of partnerships between HEIs and local and National Traveller  and Roma Organisations, as well as schools, and all other relevant education and training bodies.

Final Funding Allocation by HEI 2022