80% of Travellers fail to finish schooling [IrishTimes]
- Published: 24 June 2010
JUST 102 Travellers completed the Leaving Cert cycle in 2008 and four out of five Traveller children leave school before completing their second-level education, a new report has found.
The “Teach” report on the progression of Travellers through the Irish education system found that, despite a high rate of enrolment in primary school and a high transfer rate between primary and secondary education, more than 80 per cent of Travellers do not complete their second-level education.
Researcher Dr Niamh Hourigan of the department of sociology in UCC said Travellers face a huge cultural clash with their settled counterparts between the ages of 15 and 19. While the settled community begins to prioritise career at this point, the Traveller community prioritises marriage with the result that many leave school.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
