Drop in the number of poorer students at college [Independent.ie]
- Published: 17 January 2011
THE number of young people from working class backgrounds going to college has dropped in recent years, new figures reveal.
The unexpected decline comes at a time of massive expansion in higher education.
A new report shows that college prospects for children of non-manual workers -- these include secretaries, bus drivers, bar staff, hairdressers, and lower administrative grades in the public service -- have also failed to improve.
And it confirms that colleges have not met their 2010 target for mature students enrolling.
The details are contained in the mid-term review of the 'National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education 2008-2013', which is published by the Higher Education Authority (HEA).
The report says that while some progress has been made, the majority of the targets set for 2010 have not been met. Considerable work remains to ensure that students of all backgrounds get the support they need.
It shows that the percentage of 17 to 19-year-olds in the country enrolling in college has increased from 44pc in 2004 to 53pc last year. The total number of first years rose from 34,533 in 2007/08 to 40,059 two years later.
But a detailed breakdown of access data shows that the number of students from semi and unskilled backgrounds fell over that period -- from 10.8pc (3,730 students) to 8pc (3,212).
The percentage of students from non-manual backgrounds has also fallen -- from 10.8pc to 9.6pc over the same period.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
