Vol. 491 No. 6
263 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Education and Science the targets set for the annual intake of students from disadvantaged backgrounds in the White Paper and in the Programme of Social Partnership; and the actual level of intake achieved in the most recent years for which figures are available. [12615/98]
Partnership 2000 provides that priority will be given to a strategy to enable non-standard applicants, especially disadvantaged and mature students, to participate in third level education. The March 1998 progress report on Partnership 2000 outlines some of the current developments in the university sector on access initiatives for disadvantaged students. The most recent data on participation in higher education by social group are those based on a national survey on the 1992 entrants and I am arranging for a copy of this report to be forwarded to the Deputy.
Initiatives in the third level sector are one element of the wide range of measures in place to improve participation in education. These measures include the development of early childhood education, the allocation of additional resources to schools in disadvantaged areas and a range of other initiatives to break the cycle of disadvantage.
My objective is to ensure that all available resources are targeted so that children who are educationally disadvantaged receive the support necessary to enable them to maximise their potential in the education system.
