Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the fact that the Economic and Social Research Institute of Ireland, ESRI, is conducting research on the economic and social opportunities from increased co-operation on the island. I have read the scoping paper in detail, particularly the section on education. We need to come away with clear actions that can be implemented to increase North-South co-operation on third level education and associated timelines. We have been conducting reports and carrying out research on cross-Border co-operation since the Williams report in 1985, yet we have seen very little progress, particularly in student mobility. Since the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, the cross-Border enrolment of students in third level on this island has remained unacceptably low. It has, in fact, declined in the past ten years by 18%.

In the North, students from the South account for approximately 4% of the total student population while, in the South, students from the North make up less than 1% of the student population. We must ask why that is. It takes the same time to travel to Belfast from Mayo as it does to Dublin or Cork. We know many of the reasons. There is a difference in the admission systems, an inequity between A level and leaving certificate grades, and a lack of information for students and teachers, particularly around access and supports. I hope the ESRI will be instructed to lay out practical measures and actions that the Government can take to end this situation. I firmly believe that if we invest in an all-island educational system, we will see the benefits not only in educational attainment, but also in creating an understanding of the many cultures and traditions across our island.

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