Differences in urban and rural counties highlighted

More students living in county with institute of technology go on to third-level education.

Figures released today by the Higher Education Authority confirm what those in Cork always believed; Leesiders are the best and the brightest.

Based on Leaving Cert students achieving five or more higher-level Cs, they are almost 13 per cent ahead of the national average of 40 per cent. Dublin students are 6 per cent behind Cork, but are still 7 per cent ahead of the national average. Limerick students occupy third place and Kilkenny brings up fourth place. Clare and Wicklow beat the national average by over 5 per cent.

It is interesting to note that the three counties that have the highest academic results also have Ireland's three biggest urban areas. What is it about living in or near large centres of urban population which gives its young people better Leaving Cert results than the rest of the country?

At the opposite end of the spectrum, the five counties with the fewest students with five higher grades Cs or better among those entering higher education in 2004 are all Border counties.

Louth heads this list, with its students underperforming the national average by over 11 per cent, followed by Donegal and Leitrim on 10 per cent, Sligo on 9.5 per cent and Roscommon on 7 per cent. Monaghan, Longford and Cavan make up three of the next five lowest academic achieving counties.

The contrast between students living in counties with large urban centres and those in Border counties is very stark and would lead one to question whether environmental factors play a large part in eventual educational attainment.

Such a wide gap in academic achievement among students attending seemingly identical schools and studying the same curriculum requires investigation.

But which counties actually send most students to third-level? The highest academic achievers are not always those going on to higher degree courses.

The counties with the highest participation rates at third level are all on our western seaboard. Topping this chart is Sligo on 70.5 per cent, followed by Galway on 67.4 per cent, Kerry on 67 per cent and Mayo on 66.8 per cent.

The high showing by some counties here is linked to the presence of an institute of technology. Some counties may have relatively few students scoring five grade Cs or higher in their Leaving but a majority of their school-leavers make it to third-level via the institute of technology or some other non-university route.

Cork, with the highest academic achievement among its new entrants, has 52.3 per cent of its students achieving five higher-level Cs and 58 per cent of its students attending higher education.

Louth on the other hand has 28.5 per cent of its new entrants achieving five higher level Cs but 54 per cent of its students are in higher education in the Republic.

The ESRI report Who went to College in 2004 also shows the growing dominance of young women, now outnumbering young men by 8 per cent, (54-46 per cent).

Having examined the figures, it is clear that there are a number of key messages for Government.

A key findings is that there are major educational benefits resulting from living and rearing children in or close to major urban centres of population, with all the childcare, pre-school, cultural and other educational supports.

A second major finding of the report is the relationship between the presence of institutes of technologies and the overall participation rates among school-leavers. If the Government targets of ever-increasing participation is to be achieved, continued investment in educational infrastructure will have to be continued.

Alongside such infrastructure development, we must ensure the expansion by Government of the financial supports required by many potential students to further increase participation rates

This increase in investment is vital if we are to continue to enjoy the benefits of the economic growth that we have experienced in recent years.

The mystery of the wide divergence among students from different counties needs serious examination. Surely, it cannot be the case that Cork people are so much brainier than the rest of us!

Brian Mooney is a former president of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors