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SCHOOLS AND CHILDCARE providers are to be given €72 million in grants to help them put in place measures to reduce the spread of Covid-19, including HEPA filters.
€45 million is to be given to primary schools, €17 million for secondary schools and €10 million for early learning and childcare providers.
Individual schools will be allowed to decide how best to use the funding to address their particular needs.
In a press statement, Minister for Education Norma Foley said: “This significant increase in funding for schools will enable them to address both their minor works requirements and also to address small-scale ventilation improvements at school level as a short-term mitigation measure, should they require to do so.
“Minor works funding is important in terms of supporting the operation of schools generally and particularly within a Covid-19 environment. Schools may also apply for emergency works grant assistance to address larger-scale issues on a permanent basis,” she said.
“This funding also provides an opportunity for schools to enhance their outdoor learning environments for use as the weather permits.”
Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman has announced a suite of new measures for the sector, including temporary employment arrangements for students in the sector to relieve staffing pressures in the sector.
The once-off grant programme will enable childcare providers to introduce measures to improve ventilation, including HEPA filters.
Early learning and childcare providers are encouraged to contact their local city or county Childcare Committee with any queries on the grant programme and the application process.
The student employment will see further and higher education institutions facilitate the temporary release of certain students to work in early learning and childcare settings to relieve staffing pressures.
On a temporary basis Further and Higher Education Institutions will, where possible, facilitate the temporary release of students (until end January 2022) who are undertaking relevant studies and who meet eligibility criteria to work in early learning and childcare settings.
Students who are currently enrolled on a recognised level 6, 7 or 8 course in a relevant field and have completed the equivalent of a level 5 award will be eligible – full details of who can apply can be found here.
A facility for advertising temporary posts will be available on www.myccc.ie this week.
EWSS at enhanced rates amounts to an investment of €34 million per month in the sector and is estimated to cover, on average, 80% staff costs and 50% operating costs.
In a press statement, O’Gorman said: “Children’s health and well-being is at the forefront of all our work. Early Learning and childcare providers have risen to the challenge of adapting to the current Covid-19 restrictions.
“To further support their efforts and make these critical services safer for children, their families and the early learning and childcare workforce, I am pleased to announce this grant programme to improve ventilation.
“I am also announcing temporary employment arrangements for students, where colleges will – where possible – facilitate students of early learning and care education programmes to work in settings until the end of January 2022 to relieve current staff supply pressures owing to Covid-19.”
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They should close the schools early for Christmas, give them time to make the classrooms safe before they return in January.
@John Smith: do you want to close the schools now and keep them closed until January 2023? It’s grants so they have to apply for the money, it takes time. Then they have to find workers and carry out the work that take times, you want them to do this in 3-4 weeks?
@John Smith: just primary.
@Kim Steen Hansen: nope should’ve been done more than a year ago as should so much else. Foley needs to resign.
@Graham Manning: Agree. I just commented on Johns post.
@Kim Steen Hansen: It would have been handier if they had done it during the last summer holidays. Or even Summer 2020 considering the majority of cases are coming from schools.It’s disgraceful it has been ignored for so long. Foley with her head buried in the sand as usual. Make it easy for schools to access these grants. Because if its like every thing else we will still be discussing filters this time next year!
@Graham Manning: I said this all along, she should be a back bencher.
@Franny Ando: and they didn’t, we will most likely be discussing this topic for years to come. It’s not much they are doing right.
@Franny Ando: It’s easy to make good decisions in hindsight. Last summer cases were doing and vaccines were being rolled out. If they had worked spending then would’ve been a minimal waste of taxpayer money
@Mickety Dee: They would never have been a waste of money!! Children weren’t at school most of last summer.They would have been an asset considering the amount of colds, flu’s, tummy bugs etc that spread round schools, especially primary schools, every single year. Its that sort of attitude that still has us in this mess. If filters had been installed we might not have the large numbers we are seeing now..And seriously when have they ever not wasted tax payers money.
Does the word proactive mean anything to Leinster House?
@Adrian O’Donnell: They don’t have time to learn new words as they are too busy wasting taxpayers money.
@Adrian O’Donnell: It’s a yogurt
@Adrian O’Donnell: It’s a yogurt or
Better late than never as government continues to close the stable door after the horse has bolted.
@Mary Dunphy: In this case the horse has evolved.
And all the poor people who have contracted covid throu the schools over the last few months must be so relieved. Can people now sue the government for their schools are safe lies??
HEPA Air purifiers are not short term … these will help reduce the vomiting bug,colds, etc from spreading around the schools not just Covid….these need to be in place all year round every year …..Last summer was the time for putting in these not Christmas week in the thick of the 4th wave but they are better late than never.
Hopefully, there will be open and transparent tenders for any contracts where this money is to be spent.
And hopefully no repeat of the ventilators fiasco.
@Mark McGrath: Not a hope. My money is on Med Mark getting the contract
@Locutus Of Borg: who are med mark ?
@Dsds: Eamon Ryan’s brother’s company, got the education contract to process teachers’ sickness.
Went through no tender to get it.
This headline should have been ‘A bit late in the day’.
That’s an insult why don’t they close the schools for a month to stop the spread of the virus I stead of giving them 72 million to prevent the spread of the virus
@Mick Dunne: Probably loose double that on the flip of it.
@Mick Dunne: tried that last March and the spread has continued.
“small scale and short term”. Are these words you would use to describe the pandemic? This is the scope of the FFG gov response. Incompetent scabs!
@Mogh Roith: I think they are referring to the scale of the works, not the scale of the pandemic
All the people who got sick and went to hospital and unfortunate ones who died.. literally because the gov dragged their heels on this for months tryna put off the spend when it would have to be done anyway. They don’t acknowledge that their errors cost people their lives. That’s why it’s so infuriating when you hear them on the news saying they’re doin a great job. It’s hugely disrespectful to people who lost their lives because of them.
All this from last Monday’s main news?
You wouldn’t see them giving 75 million to help parents reduce the cost of of childcare….
Horse Door Bolted
I can absolutely guarantee that schools still won’t have filters this time next year. Most of the €72 million will be lost in needless admin costs by the Dept of Education and the process with be unnecessarily convoluted and difficult to access by schools.
Too little too late for us and many other families (whole house got covid recently which started at our daughters school). Schools and parents left to fend for themselves by this government unfortunately. They cant wait for warmer weather to put the desks into the nearest field from whats mentioned in this article. What a joke.
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