Written Answers. - Third Level Participation.
Thomas P. Broughan
Question:
121
Mr. Broughan
asked the
Minister for Education and Science
if his attention has been drawn to the findings of the report prepared on behalf of the Dublin Employment Pact which showed that Dublin had the second lowest participation rate in third level of any county in the Republic and lags well behind other EU capitals in this area; if he is planning targeted measures to address this imbalance; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[15724/03]
I am aware of the report by Professor Pat Clancy on his fourth national survey of access to higher education which found that Dublin, by comparison with other counties, had a low level of participation in third level education. However, it should be noted that this survey, based on entrants to higher education in autumn 1998, was carried out before the significant additional funding committed by Government to further and higher education.
New measures have been introduced specifically aimed at increasing access to third level education. There is a provision within the national development plan for a third level access fund totalling almost €121 million, over the period 2000-06, to tackle disadvantage at third level. The report of the action group on access to third level education, which was established to advise on the development of a co-ordinated strategy to increase participation of students from disadvantaged backgrounds, mature students and students with a disability at third level, was published in July 2001.
To date a number of measures have been taken in response to some of the main recommendations in the report. Special rates of maintenance grant, usually referred to as 'top-up' grants, payable to disadvantaged grant holders, were introduced with effect from the 2000-01 academic year; following a review in 2002, I increased the annual income threshold for the special rates by 32% for 2002-03. I also increased the special rate of grant to €4,000 for non-adjacent grant holders. As a result of the review, I am pleased to state that the number of students qualifying for the "top-up" grant in 2002-03 has more than doubled to some 7,500 students.
A new millennium partnership fund for disadvantage was introduced with effect from 2001. The fund provides assistance to partnership companies and community groups to develop their support schemes for students from disadvantaged families. Area Development Management Limited, ADM, under whose aegis the partnerships operate, accepted my Department's request that it would administer the fund for the 2001-02 academic year. The total allocation for the 2001-02 academic year was €1.2 million, with 37 partnerships and community groups receiving allocations from the fund. For 2002-03, I increased the provision for the fund to €2 million and 50 area partnerships and community groups have received allocations.
I anticipate that the national office for equity of access will be in operation prior to the start of the 2003-04 academic year and that it will facilitate the aim of increasing third level access by the three target groups, in partnership with my Department, the third level institutions and other stakeholders and agencies.
The student assistance fund assists students who might, due to their financial circumstances, be unable to continue their third level studies. The sum of €8.9 million was allocated from this fund in 2002 in respect of the 2002-03 academic year.
The under-representation of students from lower socio-economic backgrounds in the higher education system remains unacceptable and is, and will continue to be, one of my key policy priorities. In this context, the Deputy will be aware that on the 25 May I announced a package of measures costing €42 million in a full year to address the problem of disadvantage in third level education. The package comprises an increase in the maintenance grant levels by 15%; a significant increase in the income thresholds for purposes of determining grant eligibility and an expansion in the number of thresholds, benefiting a greater number of students; an increase in the top income threshold from €36,897 to €40,000, ensuring that a significantly higher number of students from households with moderate incomes will not have to pay the €670 student service charge; an increase in the amount of the higher rate of the top-up grant to the level of the maximum personal rate of unemployment assistance and approximately 7,500 grant holders will benefit under this measure.
This package of measures will be the catalyst that enables students from disadvantaged backgrounds to reach their full potential in the education system, and in their subsequent careers.
