The transition year programme in schools should be "re-examined" because it may be introducing pupils to the world of part-time work too early in their lives, says a new report.
The report by the Government agency, the Skills Initiative Unit, says transition year, in existence since 1994, may disrupt the education of young people and lead them to believe that school is less important than work.
The report's author, Dr Sean McDonagh, says transition year while "laudable in its aims", should be re-examined in the context of "the new widespread practice of young persons working during term time and later under- achieving at Leaving Certificate".
The report notes that the original purpose of the programme was to "help pupils make the transition from a highly structured environment to one where they will take greater responsibility for their own learning".
However, Dr McDonagh says there is a strong case in Ireland for pupils remaining in a highly structured programme "as long as possible". The report says part-time working increases with age.
"There is a strong argument for completing formal school programmes first before engaging in programmes which introduce pupils to working life. Some of those introduced to working life during transition year may not complete or under-perform in the Leaving Certificate because of their excessive term-time working practices."
The report acknowledges it was not the intention of the transition year programme to encourage such working practices, but, unfortunately, activities such as homework are coming under pressure because of the time pupils spend working.
"The transition year programme may bring a discontinuity to homework practices," says the report.
It also questions whether transition year pushes male pupils towards apprenticeships before they have done their Leaving Certificate. "About 25 per cent of young men now enter apprenticeship at an average age of 17. Over 50 per cent of these have completed the Leaving Certificate. One may ask if this proportion would be higher if those registering had not done a transition year," says the report.
Transition year, which is now offered by the majority of schools, was also strongly criticised earlier this year by the Institution of Engineers of Ireland, which also linked the programme with excessive part-time working.
Its submission to the Task Force on the Physical Sciences said: "Most transition year students receive little or no homework and many appear to commence the practice of part-time work in transition year, immediately before the two most challenging years of their student lives." However, this claim was strongly denied by many teachers and school principals involved in the programme.