Inner city group seeks education task force

The Government was today urged to establish a task force to deal with young people experiencing educational disadvantage.

The Government was today urged to establish a task force to deal with young people experiencing educational disadvantage.

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Some kids aren’t even in the points race
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Mr Tim O’Brien, ICON spokesperson, speaking about young people experiencing educational disadvantages

Two days after the Leaving Cert results, the Inner City Organisations Network (ICON) claimed young people in the north-east inner city area of Dublin are experiencing education and social disadvantage.

Mr Tim O’Brien, ICON spokesperson, said the area had suffered decades of disadvantage which had led to unequal opportunities in terms of education.

While many students around the country are hoping to have gained sufficient points for their preferred third level courses, "some kids aren’t even in the points race", he said.

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Mr O’Brien called on the Government to take an "action-oriented approach" to the problem and set up a task force which would emphasise life-long learning and the value of both formal and informal education.

He called for a multi-agency response to the "decades of educational disadvantage in the heart of the capital".

In a statement today, Minister for Education Dr Michael Woods said he had already initiated an educational disadvantage committee to identify the source of the problem.

Dr Woods said he had also decided to establish a larger 'forum' to address the issue. The forum will meet twice a year and is expected to advise on broader issues relating to exclusion from the full benefits of education, he said.