Proinsias De Rossa
Question:95 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Minister for Education and Science the measures that his Department is taking to address the high drop-out rates in some third level courses. [17116/01]
Written Answers. - Third Level Non-Completion.
The Educational Research Centre has undertaken two comprehensive studies of the extent of non-completion in universities and in institutes of technology, which provide analyses of data on non-completion by institution, gender and field of study. The Dublin Institute of Technology is also conducting a two-year quantitative and qualitative investigation of student withdrawal within the institute.
At my request, the Higher Education Authority recently hosted a national seminar on course completion in higher education. This seminar provided an opportunity to consider the issues and trends arising from the recent studies against international experience and from the students' perspective. The need for qualitative research to be undertaken into the factors influencing non-completion was highlighted at the seminar and the Educational Research Centre is undertaking qualitative research to identify the underlying causes of non-completion with a view to developing appropriate strategies to deal with the issue.
In the meantime, strategies and measures to tackle non-completion have been put in place both at national and institutional level. In the university sector, the Higher Education Authority allocated £400,000 in 2000 for specific initiatives to enhance retention rates, with further funding committed for the ongoing support of these initiatives in 2001 and 2002. These initiatives include measures to track students, development of mentoring and study skills programmes, counselling services for new entrants and information packs for schools. Other initiatives developed by universities include orientation programmes, life skills modules and the appointment of academic counsellors, access officers, school liaison officers and mature students' officers. The quantitative study undertaken by the Educational Research Centre recommended that each university develop explicit policies on retention. I have asked the Higher Education Authority to review these policies within 12 months.
In the institute of technology sector, the council of directors has established a national committee on retention with representatives from each institute to focus on "maximising success rates" for students. The committee has assembled a profile of current good practice in relation to retention across the sector and the profile has been made available to all the institutes.
In 1999, a two year allocation of £1.5 million was provided for the technological sector to address the area of non-completion. This funding has supported the appointment of retention officers; schools liaison officers; provision of additional advisory services including counselling, academic support and career guidance; establishment of staff training seminars, upgrading of orientation programmes and the expansion of mentoring programmes.
Considerable work is also being undertaken in collaboration with the National Centre for Guidance in Education and with my Department's inspectorate to develop other positive actions in this area.
These initiatives represent a wide-ranging response and confirm my commitment to prioritising the issue of non-completion in third level education. Completion of the qualitative research now being undertaken will enable more precise identification of the underlying causes of non-completion and the development of appropriate strategies.