Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 17 Jun 2003

Vol. 568 No. 5

Post-Leaving Certificate Courses.

Ms Harkin

Is there a proposal to cap the number of students accessing post-leaving certificate courses in September 2003 at 2002 levels? If so, or if the Minister is even considering this, I earnestly ask that the position be reconsidered. Recently there was a great deal of debate and many newspaper headlines about the reintroduction of third level fees. The Minister for Education and Science indicated that he was concerned about access to third level among students from disadvantaged backgrounds – indeed, he stated that the abolition of third level fees had not resulted in a significant improvement in that direction, and that is probably the case. The introduction of post-leaving certificate courses in recent years has for many students acted as both an alternative and a conduit to third level education. As a former teacher, I recognise the value of many of the courses introduced by the Department in the past ten to 15 years. I commend the energy, enthusiasm, commitment and hard work of teachers, boards of management and school management for implementing these courses. These range from transition year to leaving certificate vocational programmes, leaving certificate applied programmes and so on.

The leaving certificate applied programme, in particular, is a route for many students who do not wish to pursue an exclusively academic leaving certificate. It is finally a recognition by the Department that there are many different kinds of intelligences and that while memory and academic reasoning are of great value, they are just part of a much broader spectrum. Many students who pursue the leaving certificate applied programme will not be able to access third level education directly but they will be able to access post-leaving certificate courses. For some students such a course will act as an alternative to third level education but for others it will act as a conduit to third level. Many students who gain a pass leaving certificate will not be able to access third level directly but they will be able to access post-leaving certificate courses. That will allow students a much greater choice and greater access. Furthermore, many adults who want to access education will perhaps initially access a post-leaving certificate course.

There are broadly three groups here. There are those who pursue the leaving certificate applied programme, a significant percentage of whom will come from disadvantaged backgrounds, and those who wish to return to education and access third level, many of whom will not have been able to access third level through educational disadvantage. Finally, there are those who gain a pass leaving certificate course. For some that will be the best they can achieve and for others it will simply be because many students do not blossom until they are 18 years of age. I believe these three groups of people will be severely penalised if there is a cap on post-leaving certificate courses. If the Minister for Education and Science has any real concerns for those who suffer from educational disadvantage and wants to make a real difference to the lives of such students, perhaps he will consider spending some of his recent windfall from the Tánaiste if there is a problem with numbers in post-leaving certificate courses because these make such a huge difference to people who wish to access third level.

Many people speak of educational disadvantage but, as a former teacher, I know that certain measures work well and certain mechanisms will deliver. When one works in a school on a daily basis and sees something working well, which helps to ensure that those who suffer from disadvantage can access third level, one does not want to see that changed. I would like to see this remain as part of the system because post-leaving certificate courses help many from disadvantaged backgrounds to access third level. In my opinion, it would be crazy to change or curtail that. It would fly in the face of any effort to improve equity in access to third level. If there is a danger of capping the numbers who can access post-leaving certificate courses in 2003, I would ask the Minister to reassess the situation. If that is the avenue he intends to pursue, I would ask him to change his mind.

Miss de Valera

I thank Deputy Harkin for bringing this matter to our attention. I listened carefully to what she said and, as a former teacher, I understand and agree with a great deal of, if not all, the arguments put forward by the Deputy. As I am a former teacher, career guidance counsellor and psychologist, I realise these are the areas which are of importance, particularly to those who happen to be disadvantaged.

The post-leaving certificate programme was introduced in 1985 with aid from the European Social Fund to provide integrated general education, vocational training and work experience for young people who had completed upper second level education or the equivalent. Its purpose was to enhance the prospects for these young people to gain employment. Since 1985, PLC courses have been developed in a wide range of disciplines supporting industry and community needs and have significantly widened the scope of educational provision. For example, during 2002-03, PLC courses were delivered in 225 centres around the country in both second level schools and stand-alone colleges, mainly in the VEC sector. The actual number of participants grew to over 28,000 from 12,000 in the 1989-90 academic year.

The following table shows the pattern of actual enrolments in approved PLC courses over the past six years: 1997-98, 21,278; 1998-99, 23,810; 1999-2000, 24,453; 2000-01, 25,519; 2001-02, 26,722; and 2002-03, 28,656. In dealing with the question of PLC numbers, my Department is not always in a position to approve all the PLC places applied for in any particular academic year. For example, a total of 37,900 places were sought nationwide for 2002-03 from a planned pool of approximately 27,500 places. For the 2003-04 academic year, schools and colleges have sought approval for 40,733 places.

Looking forward, there will be a continuing requirement to plan and control numbers and manage expenditure, and provide for future investment and growth, as necessary, within the context of overall educational policy and provision. My Department has recently completed a review of the PLC sector. This review arose from a commitment in the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness and in the White Paper on Adult Education, Learning for Life. Its purpose was to examine and make recommendations on the structures and resources required in schools and colleges with large-scale PLC provision, having regard to good practice in related areas across the system and in other countries.

A steering group, representing the Irish Vocational Education Association, the Joint Managerial Body, the Association of Community and Comprehensive Schools, the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland, the Teachers Union of Ireland, including representatives of the Department of Education and Science, was established to oversee the process. The consultancy study and the report and recommendations were prepared following an extensive research and consultation process.

The recommendations in the report are wide-ranging and encompass proposals that extend beyond PLC provision. The report proposes considerable challenges in relation to the shaping of structures for the delivery of further and adult education into the future. The recommendations will have to be considered fully at departmental level with a view to addressing the priority issues within the context of overall educational policy and provision.

I assure the Deputy of my interest in and commitment to PLC courses. I agree with her that they have had a very positive impact on those who come from disadvantaged areas in particular. We want to see how best we can promote and progress that situation.