A majority of those surveyed in one of Ireland's largest local authority housing estates finished school without any formal education qualification.
A survey in the Southill area of Limerick, which has a population of 5,000, revealed that 45 per cent of those 19 years or over were receiving some form of social welfare payment, 38 per cent finished their formal education at primary level and 28 per cent, who went to secondary school, left before sitting any examinations. A total of 46 per cent left school at intermediate level at about the ages of 15 or 16. The survey was carried out by the Southill Community Services Board.