LMETB responds to educational needs of arriving refugees

The Louth Meath Education and Training Board (LMETB) is coordinating a multi-agency Regional Education and Language Team (REALT) for Ukrainian refugees.

The REALT will respond to the local need for English language classes and will deploy laptops and tablets to support schools providing places for Ukrainian children.

The teams, which include professionals and representatives from Tusla’s Education Support Service, school psychological services, special education needs specialists and school management bodies, are being established in each of Ireland’s sixteen Education and Training Board regions, including LMETB.

The Board will also have a dedicated coordinator to support the team, a dedicated school support email and phone number, a dedicated register of ICT devices (laptops, notebooks, tablets, and other mobile devices) to facilitate eLearning.

While schools continue to be the primary contact point for Ukrainian families seeking places for their children, the REALT will assist those schools in terms of supporting capacity, sharing information and resources including those for ESOL (English Speakers of Other Languages).

Welcoming these developments, General Secretary of Education and Training Boards Ireland, Paddy Lavelle stated: “Because of our nationwide locations and in-house administrative supports, Education and Training Boards, including LMETB, are ideally placed to co-ordinate this response in collaboration with our partners across the entire school sector.

“ETBI has also appointed a designated lead to support ETBs and we are liaising closely with the Department of Education and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.”