ESRI warns schools over ghetto risk to immigrants [Independent.ie]
- Published: 07 September 2010
A leading think-tank has warned of the dangers of increasing ghettoisation of schools in Ireland.
The ESRI says half of immigrant primary pupils are in schools with large numbers of children from overseas -- where they make up more than 20pc of the student population.
In comparison, 40pc of the country's 3,300 primary schools have no immigrants at all.
Immigrants are more likely to attend designated disadvantaged schools. The differences between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged schools can be quite stark -- they imply an increasing ghettoisation of those schools designated as disadvantaged.
Immigrants are under-represented in Gaelscoileanna, mainly because of the reluctance of non-English speaking families to learn an additional new language. Higher proportions are found in urban and larger schools and in designated disadvantaged schools.
The study, entitled 'Immigration and School Composition in Ireland' was written by ESRI researchers Delma Byrne, Frances McGinnity, Emer Smyth and Merike Darmody and published in 'Irish Educational Studies'.
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