Teachers feel the negative stigma surrounding DEIS schools is undermining the confidence of their students.
44 Primary schools in Tipperary have DEIS status while there are 10 Post Primary in the county
A new survey by the Think-tank for Action on Social Change also found poor facilities and big class sizes are holding students back from achieving their goals.
The programme provides additional supports to about 260,000 students in 360 schools in disadvantaged areas across the country.
This new report, commissioned by the TUI, asked 227 teachers and 49 school leaders about their attitudes towards the scheme.
While 62 per cent said the DEIS programme improved access to higher education, infrastructure and resource problems were preventing more kids from progressing.
Science labs and sports facilities were of particular concern, with 32.5 per cent of teachers rating them as “poor” or “very poor”.
They also reported students are internalising negative stereotypes as they perceive themselves to be “low achieving” or “non academic”.
The TUI says this stigma needs to be addressed to combat this misconception.
