Written answers

Tuesday, 26 April 2005

Department of Education and Science

Third Level Education

9:00 pm

Seán Ryan (Dublin North, Labour)
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Question 88: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the steps she intends to take to address the continuing low levels of attendance at third level institutions by young persons from areas of socioeconomic disadvantage, identified in recent figures published by the CAO; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13024/05]

Photo of Mary HanafinMary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Ireland has witnessed significant growth in participation in higher education in recent decades. In 1980, only 20% of all school leavers went on to higher education, today that figure is 54%. In 1980, only 3% of children from the least well off families entered higher education. According to the most recent national survey data available — Clancy 2001 — that figure has risen to between 20% and 30% of school leavers from the most under-represented groups. While this represents a big improvement it is below the average participation rate.

Broadening access to further and higher education is one of the Government's major policy priorities. The Government made a €42 million package available in 2003 which involved substantial increases in grant levels while extending the income thresholds and linking the amount of the "top up" grant to the maximum personal rate of unemployment assistance. The impact of this scheme resulted in an increase in the number of grant holders from 51,000 in 2002-03 to more than 56,000 in 2003-04 and an increase in the number of "top up" grant holders to more than 11,500.

In addition to the initiatives within the mainstream grant schemes, the National Office for Equity of Access to Higher Education manages for my Department a number of funding programmes to widen access and support the participation of socioeconomically disadvantaged groups. These include the HEA strategic initiative funding, Improving Access, through which €7.3 million is ring-fenced annually for widening access programmes of third level institutions; the student assistance fund which provides financial support to disadvantaged students who require additional support to enable them to fully benefit from their third level studies —€5.6 million allocated under this fund in 2004-05; the fund for students with disabilities in respect of which expenditure was over €6 million in 2004, which has contributed to an increase in participation by students with a disability, with approximately 1,790 students in receipt of funding under the 2004-05 scheme, an increase of almost 1,300 since 2000 when 511 were in receipt of funding under the scheme; and the millennium partnership fund for disadvantage through which €1.85 million was allocated in 2004-05 to 68 partnerships and community groups.

A number of practical steps are being taken to address the under-representation of young people from areas of socioeconomic disadvantage. This includes the establishment in August 2003 of the national office within the HEA as a co-ordinating unit to lead work nationally on achieving equity of access to higher education, co-ordinate funding and resources, and monitor and report on progress. In December 2004, the national office published a three year action plan, 2005-2007, which sets out a range of practical steps which need to occur so that more opportunities are created for groups who have to date been under-represented in the sector, such as socioeconomically disadvantaged school leavers. This will include arrangements so that all disadvantaged regions, schools and communities, in particular those with low levels of representation, are linked to access activities and programmes in at least one higher education institution in their region.

An integrated and coherent strategy is required if we are to further increase the participation rates among persons from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Incentivised funding at the level of the institutions and the individual as advocated in the action plan from the National Office for Equity of Access to Higher Education will be an important element of funding policies in the future. My Department is in consultation with the universities and the institutes of technology about their proposals for alternative entry and retention processes to improve access opportunities for students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. I also attach considerable importance to the recommendations in the action plan relating to awareness issues and the need for user friendly and accessible processes and procedures for the allocation of funding.

A priority area for action is evaluation of access programmes which have been established in higher education institutions to ascertain what strategies and partnerships work best in achieving equity of access to higher education for all under-represented groups. Building upon this work, the national office will develop and support the implementation of a national framework of access policies and initiatives for each target group, including young people from socioeconomically disadvantaged areas. The national office will monitor and report on progress in implementing the action plan and reaching national and institutional targets on equity of access to higher education.

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