Higher education plan - Everyone in society must have a chance

Having boasted for centuries that Ireland was the island of saints and scholars, it is imperative that everyone should have the opportunity of a full education.

The Democratic Programme of the First Dáil baldly proclaimed that “all shall be provided with the means and facilities requisite for their proper education and training as Citizens of a Free and Gaelic Ireland”.

In relative terms it was not that long ago that many people would have been the first person in their family to complete secondary school. Great strides have been made in the past half-century since TK Whitaker launched the government’s Programme for Economic Expansion in November 1958.

For too long a secondary school education was a privilege rather than a right, until Donogh O’Malley revolutionised our educational system with the introduction of “free secondary” education 40 years ago. The country had not been living up to the lofty idealism espoused by those who inspired the struggle for Irish independence.

All school leavers should have the opportunity of going on to a higher education regardless of socioeconomic background or age. Adults who left the educational system early should be able to return to education.

Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe launched the national plan for equity of access to higher education yesterday. The goal is to have 72% of the Leaving Cert age group going on to higher education by 2020. At present 55% of those students go on to third level education, which is up from 44% a decade ago.

While virtually all the children of higher professional people go on to third level at present, only a third of the children of unskilled manual workers do so, and the percentage of the children of non-manual workers is even smaller. This disparity is unacceptable, and it has been getting worse. The level of participation of the children of parents in the non-manual category fell from 29% in 1998 to 27% in 2004.

We must do better. It is not enough that the ratio of current secondary school pupils going on to third level should be increased; there should be serious efforts to encourage those older people, who missed out, to take an active part in the lifelong learning programme.

In 2004 about 7% of Irish adults took part in the lifelong learning initiative, compared with a 10% average in the EU, and between 25% and 36% in Scandinavian countries. Improving the lifelong learning experience will require changes, such as flexible courses that suit the needs of working people.

Upgrading the skills and education of individuals at any time is both in the national interest and interests of individuals. In addition to enriching their lives, it better prepares them for the transition from the industrial age to the information age.