Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 502: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of young people leaving school without a qualification; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42933/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The latest data published by my Department on retention rates in second-level schools relate to the cohort of entrants to the first year of junior cycle in 1996. Students in this cohort would have sat the Leaving Certificate in either 2002 or 2003, depending on whether they took the Transition Year Programme. The published data for the 1996 cohort indicate an average "unadjusted" retention rate to Leaving Certificate of 70.3% for the local authority area of South Dublin, as compared with a national average figure of 77.8%. The term "unadjusted" relates to the fact that the figures cited have not been adjusted to allow for factors such as persons opting to pursue their senior cycle education in private institutions, emigration and death. The national adjusted Leaving Certificate retention rate for the 1996 cohort was 81.3%.

As regards those who complete the Junior Certificate but who depart from second-level education prior to the Leaving Certificate, the available statistical evidence indicates that the increasing range of further education and training opportunities available for these students is having a positive impact. CSO data show that the educational profile of 20-24 year olds in Ireland has improved steadily over the last five years, as increasing opportunities have been made available in the further education and training sector. By 2005, almost 87% of 20-24 year olds had completed upper second-level education or higher, up from some 82% in 2000. This compares with an EU average of 77% in 2005.

Given the clear link between leaving the system without formal qualifications and continued socioeconomic disadvantage in adult life, the Government is determined to do all that is possible to ensure that children and young people get the opportunities and supports they need to enable them to complete their education and secure their future economic and personal well being. Against the background of our continuing economic success, our increasingly well educated population (with almost 40% of 25-34 year olds having a third-level qualification, among the highest in the EU) and inward migration, those who leave school early without adequate qualifications face serious difficulties and challenges. My Department has adopted a broad-based approach to tackling early school leaving. We established the National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) to monitor attendance and help to get young people back to school. We have widened the range of curricula available to students by promoting the Junior Certificate Schools Programme, the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme, and the Leaving Certificate Applied Programme in addition to the traditional Junior and Leaving Certificate curricula.

We have also put preventative measures in place such as the School Completion Programme and the Home School Community Liaison Scheme (HSCL). Under the School Completion Programme children at risk of early school leaving are targeted for a variety of extra supports, educational and non-educational, during and outside of school time — all aimed at encouraging them to stay in school. The Home School Community Liaison Scheme helps to get parents involved in their children's education, which as we all know is a crucial component of convincing young people of the value of education. Enhancing attendance, progression, retention and attainment are central to DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) the action plan for educational inclusion, which is being implemented at present. The action plan represents a shift in emphasis away from individual initiatives, each addressing a particular aspect of the problem, with the new plan adopting a multifaceted and more integrated approach. This is the first time that an integrated educational inclusion strategy has been developed for 3-18 year olds in this country.

In relation to second chance educational opportunities for young people who left school early, this Government has shown a sustained commitment to providing greater opportunities in the adult and further education sectors. Many such young people take up places in Youthreach centres, while others pursue options such as FÁS apprenticeships. I would like to assure the Deputy that we have greatly intensified our efforts in recent years both to keep more young people in school and to provide increased educational opportunities for those who left school early. I will continue to prioritise further progress in this area. To that end the total provision in the 2007 estimates for educational inclusion programmes at all levels is €730 million — an increase of €95 million, or 15% on the 2006 figure. The 2007 provision includes a 20% increase in funding for the NEWB.