All school children with disabilities throughout the State are to get escorts to accompany them travelling to and from school on buses. Under the £2.9 million scheme, which starts this week, an escort will travel on 586 school buses to look after children with disabilities. School boards of management have been given funds by the Department of Education and Science to hire escorts. Each escort will be paid £4.50 an hour, amounting to almost £5,000 per person a year.
Announcing the service yesterday, the Minister of State for Education and Science, Mr Willie O'Dea, said it was a "major breakthrough". "The service will go a long way towards combating educational disadvantage. The needs of children with disabilities are being recognised." The scheme is the first national escort service for school buses and follows a pilot scheme introduced in 1995 which provided escorts on 32 buses. It will operate on 574 bus routes around the State.