Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The figures show that a much higher percentage of persons classified as being in the employers and managers socioeconomic group - 77.6% - were pursuing post-secondary school education compared with those classified as semi-skilled - 40% - or unskilled - 39.1%. As Deputy Ó Snodaigh correctly pointed out, a lot more people from a home with greater income or professional status are studying in post-secondary school education.

Improvements have been made to ensure students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds get into college. One of the main factors, going back a long time, was free education, which levelled the playing field for everyone. The grant system for third level was extremely helpful in helping students from disadvantaged communities to get into college. Although the non-manual group was the largest group in the country among the age group provided, it accounted for the second largest group of students in absolute numbers, with 24,662. However, 33% of persons in the non-manual group were students compared with, for example, 77% of those in the employers and managers group. The number of those studying was highest for those aged 19, with increasing percentages of those with a degree or higher as one moves up the age groups. Of those studying aged 23, nearly half had a degree or higher qualification, with higher professionals and farmers having more persons holding a degree or higher than those holding no degree.

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