Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Justice and Equality, Jim O’Callaghan has written to the Minister for Justice in relation to the lack of supports for students living in direct provision
Deputy O’Callaghan said: “I have written to the Minister for Justice in relation to the urgent need to engage with direct provision centres around the country in order to identify what additional resources are needed to ensure students living in direct provision can continue their studies during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“While we appreciate the need for the shift to distance learning, unfortunately those living in direct provision are being disproportionately affected by the move. Action needs to be taken to counterbalance this and ensure equality in access to education.
“The Amnesty International End DP Action Group carried out a survey of those living in direct provision in relation to access to education during the Covid-19 pandemic. The respondents came from 31 different centres.10 centres did not have access to WIFI and almost 60% of respondents did not have access to a laptop.
“There are simple, practical measures that can be taken to assist the education of those living in direct provision. Consideration could be given to providing a fund to direct provision centres to access the necessary equipment, or alternatively, school equipment could be loaned to direct provision centres during this time. Steps should be taken to ensure that all centres have WIFI access,” concluded Deputy O’Callaghan.