Call for more cash for adult education

The ability of non-nationals to access adult education and the fees they are charged for it were among the issues raised at a meeting on adult education in Dublin yesterday.

The a.g.m. of the National Association of Adult Education (AONTAS) set out its 10 core demands of all candidates in the general election. Among these are the abolition of fees for all adult students, an increase in the budget for adult education from 2 per cent of the Department of Education budget to 10 per cent and the prioritisation of life-long learning.

While "considerable progress" had been made in the development of an adult education network, the association's director, Ms Berni Brady, said the necessity for such a network needed to be kept on the political agenda.

She said that among the major obstacles to participation in lifelong learning, particularly for the low-paid, was the fact fees still applied for many adults hoping to access upper-level secondary education and for adults taking part in part-time, distance and modular courses.

One of the speakers from the floor spoke of the "frustration" non-nationals, and those trying to help them, experienced in their attempts to access adult education. She referred to non-nationals who had been granted residency, were allowed to work but had "very limited rights to take part in adult education".

"This is a group that is hungry for education," she said. "It is very frustrating for them that they cannot progress."

She called on the association to work to improve this group's access to education.