IPPN

Published: 25 November 2008

Source : Irish Independent

By John Walshe Education Editor
Tuesday November 25 2008

One in every eight pupils in the cash-rich Dublin docklands area drops out of school before the age of 12, shocking figures reveal.

The research shows that every year some 460 pupils who live in the shadow of the International Financial Services Centre leave school before their 12th birthday.

Overall, about 30pc of pupils in the area quit school before they are 15, while only 60pc sit the Leaving Certificate. And the percentage going to college is one of the lowest in the country at just 10pc.

But as bad as the figures are, they reflect a dramatic improvement on the situation a decade ago when a third of pupils dropped out before the age of 12 and only one in every hundred young people went to college.

And while most of the change has been due to an educational programme introduced by the Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA), an evaluation of the programme says there are no grounds for complacency. The report, entitled "The Way Forward" by Professor Aine Hyland and Cynthia Deane, says the participation rates still fall far short of national rates for retention to Junior and Leaving Certificate and transfer to higher education.

Statistics compiled by the Economic and Social Research Institute show that the percentages of pupils in the docklands sitting the Leaving rose from 10pc in 1997 to 60pc in 2005, but the national rate has risen to 82pc.

The report adds: "In 2004, 55pc of the total-age cohort nationally entered higher education, which is over five times higher than the figure for the Docklands in 2005."

Unemployment

Rose Tully, of the National Parents Council (post primary) said the drop-out level in schools in the area was worrying. Much of it seemed to be occurring at the transition from primary to post-primary schools. Some pupils came from marginalised families where alcohol, drugs and unemployment played their part.

Over two-thirds of teachers and four out of five pupils are directly involved in activities in the programme in which the National College of Ireland plays a key part. Most principals surveyed said the programme had improved pupils' motivation to achieve their full potential.

The average spend per pupil within the programme is €316, which is considerably in excess of the €173 per pupil paid by the Department of Education.

The DDDA also invests significant personnel resources in the programme, employing six project executives administering a range of activities under the Social Regeneration Unit.

The programme covers a wide variety of activities: such as a soccer academy; a sail training project; psychological assessments; early-start education; healthy eating; study bursaries for teachers; school bands; play therapy courses; and a schools' photographic initiative.

The report recommends strengthening the partnership approach. The focus should be on achieving positive educational outcomes for everyone living and learning in the docklands communities.

- John Walshe Education Editor