Education schemes need 'focus'

There are too many education disadvantage schemes in operation without a proper focus, the Minister for Education told the Dáil.

Mr Dempsey also confirmed he had no plans to increase the controversial third-level student service charge this year, which currently stands at €670.

However he warned TDs that "if they think that we will resolve the problem of educational disadvantage without upsetting some people, usually well-off people, we are going nowhere".

Mr Dempsey said he had been looking at the various education disadvantage schemes at first and second-level since he became Minister.

There were "too many of them and they are not focused enough" but "plenty of money is being spent".

Fine Gael's education spokeswoman, Ms Olwyn Enright, claimed the Minister was dealing with education disadvantage only at post-primary level and not on an overall basis.

He had increased funding for first and second-level disadvantage programmes, but significant numbers of people from disadvantaged backgrounds were not making the breakthrough.

She said the investment made in the past five years "has failed to increase the number of people in third-level education".

Mr Dempsey said, however, that the top-up grant system changed last year and resulted in a doubling to 7,000 the number of students from disadvantaged backgrounds getting the grants. The €42 million package for third-level education would benefit 56,000 students.

Mr Sean Crowe (SF, Dublin South-West) said Dublin had the second-lowest access of any county to college education. Dublin also had the lowest percentage of entrants receiving means-test financial aid and the highest rate of social class inequity.

The Minister said the figures dated back to 1998, before significant additional funding was introduced.