Rate of school ‘drop out to soar if funds denied’

STUDENT drop-out numbers will soar if the Government does not start investing to cater for a spiralling student population, a teachers’ union leader will warn today.

Department of Education projections suggest the numbers attending second level could rise from current levels, of around 340,000, by up to 8,000 a year between 2010 and 2015, and could reach 440,000 by 2030.

Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) general secretary Peter MacMenamin will tell a conference that the inability of the education system to support the most vulnerable students will be greatly worsened unless proper interventions are made now.