Written Answers. - Early School Leavers.
Breeda Moynihan-Cronin
Ceist:
123
Ms B. Moynihan-Cronin
asked the
Minister for Education and Science
the steps being taken to counter the drop-out rate, either in terms of those who do not transfer from primary to second level, or those who leave the system before completing junior or leaving certificate; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[26501/03]
John Deasy
Ceist:
152
Mr. Deasy
asked the
Minister for Education and Science
the reason his Department is unable to give a current figure for the rate of early school leaving; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[26568/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 123 and 152 together.
The most recently published analysis by my Department of school retention in Ireland was released in August of this year. The report indicates that: of those who commenced the junior cycle programme in September 1994, approximately 3,600, 5.7%, left school before completing the junior certificate three years later; approximately 8,900 of those who sat the junior certificate did not sit the leaving certificate; and approximately 12,500, 18.2%, young people leave school annually without the leaving certificate.
Analysis of the 1995 and 1996 cohorts of entrants is currently being prepared for publication within my Department. With cohort studies, there is an invariable time lag of approximately seven years before final data can be analysed. This is to take account of transition year and-or possible repeat of the leaving certificate. My Department is currently examining how the post-primary pupil database could be utilised to provide contemporary data on dropout on an annual basis.
The problem of early school leaving is complex and addressing it requires action on a number of fronts, including legislative and curricular reforms and preventative interventions. This is the approach that my Department is taking.
The Education Welfare Act 2000 and the establishment of the National Educational Welfare Board provides a comprehensive framework for promoting regular school attendance and tackling the problems of absenteeism and early school leaving. The Act requires schools to draw up school attendance strategies to promote regular school attendance and tackle the problems of absenteeism and early school leaving. The strategies will focus on arrangements for the identification of children who are at risk of dropping out of school at an early stage so that appropriate interventions may be put in place. To discharge its responsibilities, the board is developing a nationwide service which is accessible to schools, parents and guardians and others who are concerned with the welfare of young people. It is anticipated that it will have a staff of 84 in place by the end of the year.
With regard to curriculum, my Department's strategies have included widening the educational experience available to students. These strategies aim to achieve a greater level of inclusiveness in curricular provision and meet the needs of the diversity of pupils in our second level schools by expanding funding for programmes such as the junior certificate schools programme, JCSP, the leaving certificate vocational programme, LCVP, vocational preparation and training, VPT, and the leaving certificate applied, LCA.
My Department is also currently completing analysis work on the development of a primary pupil database. A project team, overseen by a steering group, has been assigned to work on the development of this key resource which will facilitate the collation of comprehensive data on transfer rates from primary to post-primary level.
The school completion programme has been implemented to target directly those in danger of dropping out of the education system and is a key component of my Department's strategy to discriminate positively in favour of children and young people who are at risk of early school leaving. The focus of the school completion programme is on young people between the ages of four and 18 years and aims to develop local strategies to ensure maximum participation levels in the education process. It entails targeting individual young people of schoolgoing age, both in and out of school, and arranging supports to address inequalities in education access, participation and outcomes.
There are five youth encounter projects, YEPs, three in Dublin and one each in Cork and Limerick, which are supported by my Department to provide educational facilities for young people aged between ten and 15 years who have become alienated from the conventional mainstream education system. Many of the pupils are persistent truants and have become involved in or are at risk of becoming involved in minor crime and delinquency. The primary objective of the youth encounter projects is to rehabilitate these pupils and return them to mainstream education in the shortest time possible. The projects liaise closely with specified schools in their catchment areas.
Such concentrated and focused deployment of funds should lead to increased numbers of young people completing second-level education and in that way most effectively assist in addressing the problem of early school leaving.
