Education Committee to discuss education inequality and disadvantage

Attending the meeting are: Dr Katriona O'Sullivan, Academic, Maynooth University; Dr John Bissett, Community Worker, Canal Communities Local Drugs & Alcohol Task Force; representatives from Foróige; an Cosán; Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT); Irish Rural Link; and officials from Department of Education & Skills and Department of Children & Youth Affairs.

Committee Chair Fiona O’Loughlin, TD said: “The Committee is aware that some research suggests that issues such as homelessness, addiction, unemployment, poverty and poor health are linked to socio-economic factors which may be due to low educational attainment.

The Committee is interested in hearing from those ‘on the ground’ and will be keen to explore a number of areas, such as the impact of educational disadvantage on the individual and society; educational disadvantage and the impacts on a person’s outcome, in terms employment, achievement and health; prison and repeat offending; and any links between educational disadvantage with homelessness and poverty.

The aim of our hearing is to focus on solutions to the issue of education inequality and disadvantage. Among the issues we will examine are: the current DEIS model and if it can be improved to address these issues; how to create a system which increases participation in post-secondary education, especially among groups with traditionally low rates of participation; in areas of deprivation, how to create a model of education that benefits those groups who experience high instances of poverty, addiction and other social issues; what improvement can be made to increase access routes to further education for early school leavers, young people in the Justice System and groups most at risk of educational disadvantage; and the reasons why young people drop out or don't complete courses or don't transition from one level to another to a point where they are equipped for a career.”

This meeting will take place in Committee Room 2 at 4pm on Tuesday, 6 February. Watch proceedings here [link].

Committee proceedings can also be viewed on the move, through the Houses of the Oireachtas Smartphone App, available for Apple and Android devices.