Increased resources and the ratification of international policies will result in "significant improvement" in Traveller education in the early years of the new century, according to Professor John Coolahan of NUI Maynooth.
Speaking at a conference on Traveller education, entitled "Moving On" which was organised by Laois Education Centre, he looked at the changes in education policy which are creating change and making improvements possible.
"But," he warned, "momentum will have to be maintained and there is no case for complacency." He said there were only 100 Traveller children in second-level education in 1992, but that this number has now risen to 650 this year. "Progress is being made," he said. This year also there are 400 resource teachers for Travellers and 30 visiting teachers.
He spoke of "attitudinal changes" which have come in as a result of ratification by the Government of policies introduced by the United Nations and the Council of Europe.
He also cited the new primary school curriculum, which emphasises "a new value for children" and urges schools to pay "more attention to children who are not part of the mainstream". Traveller education is "becoming more centre-stage".
