Cecilia Keaveney
Ceist:262 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Education the current statistics on a county by county basis in relation to the number of young school leavers who are without any formally recognised qualification. [21634/96]
Written Answers. - Early School Leavers.
Cecilia Keaveney
Ceist:263 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Education the number of young school leavers on a county by county basis without any formally recognised qualifications who are currently involved in training or developing a skill; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21635/96]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 262 and 263 together.
My Department does not have data available on a county by county basis on the numbers of unqualified early school leavers. The 1995 ESRI Annual School Leavers Survey shows that of 67,500 school leavers in 1993-94, 2,200 or 3.3 per cent left school with no qualifications, and a further 10,000 or 14.8 per cent left school with only junior cycle qualifications, that is, 18 per cent left school without completing senior cycle.
Post primary schools submit returns twice yearly, in February and October, to their local FÁS office giving details of pupils who have left school early. This information is used to compile a social guarantee register, and FÁS makes contact with those on the register to discuss their education and training needs. The social guarantee register, supplemented by local referrals from schools, garda, probation, youth and welfare services, is used to recruit young people onto the Youthreach programme for unqualified early school leavers. The White Paper Charting our Education Future proposes that the function of monitoring school attendance will fall within the remit of the regional education boards when they are established.
The following table gives details of trainees on a county by county basis who are availing of the Youthreach programme in the education sector. A further 1,500 places approximately are provided by FÁS on this programme, and an additional 450 Youthreach places in the vocational education committee sector are now being put in place. This will bring the combined provision under the programme to 3,950 places. Youthreach is targeted at young people in the 15-18 year age group who have left school with no qualifications.
A fundamental objective in the White Paper Charting our Education Future is to increase retention rates in education to completion of senior cycle to 90 per cent by the end of the decade. Progress in the achievement of this target is being made, and rates of retention have increased from 70 per cent in 1986 to 82 per cent in 1993-94.
My Department has a range of strategies in place to help prevent early school leaving. These include the development of early start centres; the allocation of additional resources to schools in disadvantaged areas; the new breaking the cycle initiative; the home-school-community liaison scheme; curricular reforms to allow students to make choices relevant to their abilities and aptitudes; improvements in the quality of teaching and certification systems; the expanson of psychological and guidance services; support for junior and senior centres for travellers; the free book scheme, and alleviation of examination fees, for necessitous pupils; and the development of second chance education and training options through Youthreach and the vocational training opportunity scheme.
Youthreach latest take-up figures 1996
|
County |
Take-up |
|
Cavan |
22 |
|
Clare |
51 |
|
Cork |
144 |
|
Dublin |
644 |
|
Donegal |
45 |
|
Galway |
70 |
|
Kerry |
17 |
|
Kildare |
48 |
|
Laois |
22 |
|
Limerick |
130 |
|
Longford |
25 |
|
Louth |
47 |
|
Mayo |
79 |
|
Meath |
20 |
|
Monaghan |
22 |
|
Offaly |
18 |
|
Roscommon |
14 |
|
Sligo |
40 |
|
Tipperary N.R. |
33 |
|
Tipperary S.R. |
16 |
|
Waterford |
48 |
|
Westmeath |
25 |
|
Wexford |
77 |
|
Wicklow |
95 |