Schools ‘not preparing for real life’

PARENTS believe second-level education does not prepare their children for adult life and schools need to provide more career guidance, major research has found.

It also shows that young people rely more on their parents than their schools for advice on which subjects to study, whether to choose higher or ordinary level, and planning for their futures.

The study by Government think-tank, the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), will be published in the summer and is based on a survey of parents whose children are in fifth or sixth year, and detailed interviews with more than 50 mothers and fathers.