Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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502. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the actions her Department is taking to address the non-progression of up to 7,000 students from first year to second year at third level, as reported by the Higher Education Authority last year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27285/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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Improving student progression into and within higher education is a national strategic priority, which is being advanced through the on-going reform of the transition from secondary to higher education, led by the Department of Education and Skills. It is also being supported by the activities of the HEA-funded National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning—the key system-level infrastructure for the enhancement of teaching and learning in Irish higher education and for the implementation of the recommendations of the National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030 in this area. The HEA is monitoring higher education institutions' success in improving progression rates through the process of strategic dialogue. As detailed in the Higher Education System Performance First Report 2014–2016, 'institutions with outlying progression rates have included targets to address these in their performance compacts to 2016, with at least half of the compacts containing a target in this regard'.

The HEA's studies on student progression, along with the qualitative data generated through the Irish Survey of Student Engagement (ISSE), enhance the evidence-base for the development of policy and practice to tackle non-progression amongst students in higher education.