The Department of Education has failed to set up a key committee to tackle educational disadvantage two years after it promised to do so, the Conference of Religious of Ireland (CORI) has said.
The educational disadvantage committee provided for in the Education Act, 1998, is now long overdue, said CORI's education spokeswoman, Sister Teresa McCormack. The committee was to include representatives of the education partners who would draw up national policies for eliminating disadvantage. The committee was also expected to work with third-level colleges on improving access for poorer students.
"CORI believes it is imperative that the educational disadvantage committee be established without further delay," said Sister McCormack.
The importance of such a committee was acknowledged in the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness, she said, but no action had been taken.
CORI's comments come a day before the HEA publishes a report on educational disadvantage at third level by a UCD academic, Dr Patrick Clancy, which is expected to show little improvement in access over the last five years.
Sister McCormack said the education system continued to fail people from poorer socio-economic backgrounds. About 3,500 students from such backgrounds left school without any qualifications, while 10,800 of them failed to reach Leaving Certificate level.
Several worthwhile Government initiatives had been developed in recent years, she said, but a "more integrated and coherent approach" was needed. She said special interventions, such as the Breaking the Cycle and Home School Liaison schemes, should be continued, but "sustained attempts to address structural problems in the system" were also required.
"This committee must be established without further delay and provided with the necessary resources. The resourcing of this committee will test the political will to overcome one of the main causes of social exclusion, namely educational disadvantage," said Sister McCormack.
"It is a grave injustice that the education system continues to mediate the vicious cycle of disadvantage and social exclusion between generations," she added.
She pointed to a report in The Irish Times which said only 2.2 per cent of those who graduate from university were from lower socio-economic groups, despite such groups making up 17 per cent of the population.
eoliver@irish-times.ie