John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I specifically ask the Minister to ensure we would go a little further with the new programme. It is not sufficient that students complete their schooling at leaving certificate. We need to review where they go after that and how they are equipped to take up work or to go on to third level. That is important. We all know that fewer students going to UCD and the other universities come from disadvantaged areas and DEIS schools than come from more affluent areas. The challenge is for us to address that in conjunction with school completion. The issue is not only the rate of completion but that we raise the standard right through that level to give students equal opportunities. If a child is coming from a DEIS school or a disadvantaged area, their expectations starting out should be equal to a child coming from a advantaged area in terms of access to third level being an opportunity for me. Unfortunately, that does not always seem to be the case. They get to leaving certificate but do not seem to transition in the same way, and that needs to be the next step of school completion.

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