Mr. Hugh Ahern:

The national media are partly responsible for people wanting to go on to a third level institution. That is because every year, around July, when the exams are finished and the results are out, the front page of every newspaper, tabloids and the main national papers, will have photos of the graduates who got the top-of-the-range points in the leaving certificate examinations. We do not, however, see the people going off to do apprenticeships. More encouragement must be given to people who do that. They should be recognised in the same way as their peers who may have got 625 points and may be going off to one of the top colleges in the country. The people going off to do apprenticeships should be included in the newspapers as well. It is a great achievement for the people who get the top points, but it is also an achievement for people who get into apprenticeships. They may have completed the junior and leaving certificate examinations, but they may not have wanted to. Therefore, I think the achievements of all students should be recognised by the media, no matter in what area.

That is one of the partial causes, but there are many more. I will pass it on.