Cool reaction to White Paper

Details revealed in The Irish Times last week of the Government's forthcoming White Paper on adult education have met a mixed reaction from student groups. This is despite the fact that it proposes providing tens of millions of pounds more for third-level adult education.

Ian Russell, education officer of the Union of Students in Ireland (USI), said the union welcomed the suggestion that £30 million will be allocated to improve participation rates for mature students at third level. "However, we have to ask the question, is it enough? An enhanced level of maintenance grants for mature students and adequate support for part-time students as well as funding these extra places could well cost in excess of £30 million."

Russell said representation of mature students in Ireland was very low and cited figures showing that on average in developed countries almost one-in-five of new entrants to university were aged 26 or over. "The corresponding figure for Ireland is 2 per cent," he said.

"In the case of non-university third-level education, the OECD average is 36.8 per cent. The Irish figure is 1.1 per cent." Russell said that with so much ground to be made up, USI is seeking further measures, in particular the extension of funding to those on part-time courses. This was expressly discouraged in an earlier Green Paper.

"We believe such a view is based on an unsustainable and unnecessary distinction between full-time and part-time study," he said. The White Paper does suggest that those with medical cards or on social welfare will not have to pay for part-time courses. Russell said this was a move in a positive direction, but not one which tackles the issue as a whole. "We will be watching the White Paper closely to see that this issue is addressed," he said.

On the positive side, Russell said he welcomed the suggestion in the report that the £30 million for mature-student access will be awarded to third-level institutions which can demonstrate they are making progress in attracting mature students.

Richard Madigan, president of the graduate students' union in Trinity College Dublin and a founder member of the Irish Postgraduate Forum, welcomed much of the White Paper; many postgrads are mature students and part timers, he observed.

"Almost half of Trinity's postgraduates (1,580 out of 3,386) are considered to be part-time students, and find it very difficult to balance increasingly heavy course loads and higher fees with the outside work necessary to fund their educations. It's a problem that the Government must address on every level, and it's going to be a long, step-by-step process," he said.

College news is compiled by Paul Tanney