Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 20 Feb 1996

Vol. 461 No. 7

Written Answers. - EU Education Report.

Helen Keogh

Ceist:

44 Ms Keogh asked the Minister for Education her response to the EU report which states that the Irish education system fails 20,000 early school leavers every year; the plans, if any, she has to redress the imbalance in funding in the education system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3707/96]

Robert Molloy

Ceist:

104 Mr. Molloy asked the Minister for Education her response to the EU report which states that the Irish education system fails 20,000 early school leavers every year; the plans, if any, she has to redress the imbalance in funding in the education system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3702/96]

Minister for Education (Ms Bhreathnach)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 44 and 104 together.

The report referred to has not yet been published. However, I will make a number of comments about early school leaving and educational disadvantage.

My objective, shared I know by all the Deputies in this House, is that there should be no early school leavers. However, overcoming early school leaving is a complex problem with roots in social and economic factors outside the school. The removal of educational disadvantage is an international problem, which is proving persistently difficult for all developed countries.

Finally, while in no way wishing to minimise the crucial importance of developing all children's potential to the full, very significant strides have been made in retaining students in full-time second-level education up to completion of the senior cycle. It is a fundamental objective of the White Paper, Charting our Education Future that the rate of retention in school to completion of senior cycle should increase to 90 per cent by the end of the decade. Progress in the achievement of this target is being made steadily. Rates of retention have increased from 70 per cent in 1986 to 82 per cent at present.

I will be happy to debate again with the Deputies on the details of the report when it is published.