Madam, – We would like to respond to Ross Higgins’s contention that the widening participation policy approach in Ireland over the last 15 years consists of “tinkering around the edges” through “mentoring, supports and guidance” (Opinion, August 21st). Mr Higgins’s opinion piece shows a disappointing lack of reference to any of the varied and imaginative responses to this issue that have developed right across the education sector.
First, we are pleased that we don’t need to look to Texas for alternative admissions policies. The Higher Education Access Route (Hear) involves all the Irish universities and a number of other higher education institutions in a reduced points admissions scheme for students in any school nationally who are socio-economically disadvantaged. About 1,000 socio-economically disadvantaged students will progress to the institutions through this scheme alone in the coming weeks. All the participating institutions have targets for the student groups and strategies for meeting those targets. They are established in collaboration with the HEA National Access Office, which has a strategy and targets for higher educational access by these student groups.
Second, there are many access/foundation courses across further and higher education institutions which are extremely successful in preparing these student groups for progression.
Third, there is a national system of entry from further to higher education under the Further Education and Training Awards Council (Fetac). The most recent report tracking student progression to higher education (Who Went to College by Fitzpatrick Associates ESRI, 2006) demonstrated an encouraging upward trend in progression rates for socio-economically disadvantaged students in many of the most underrepresented, generally urban, postal codes.
In 2004, Trinity was the first university in Ireland to set a 15 per cent quota for non-traditional students. This quota has been revised upwards to 22 per cent by 2013 as the initial quota was surpassed.
There is unequal access to higher education across different socio-economic groups in Irish society. But a Texan solution can hardly be viewed as transformative. The truth is that higher education institutions and policy makers can exercise a “pull” factor, schools can attempt a “push” factor. There are, however, many factors relating to family, school facilities, demographics within a community and an absence of role models that mitigate strongly against hugely increased progression rates. Within the limits of our system, the students have progressed in surprisingly large numbers and the higher education institutions have made great advances in policy and practice.
Inequality in education is a reflection of an acute polarity of entitlements in all key areas of social policy: housing, taxation and health. Where countries have been genuinely capable of creating greater equality in access to education, they have a much more egalitarian focus across all social policy areas, such as in Sweden, Finland and Canada.
In the current year, there will be more than 400 alumni of Trinity College who entered via our access programmes, 140 new entrants and approximately 500 TAP students enrolled in undergraduate studies. Each of these individuals has a transformative effect on their family, school and community. About 17 per cent of the student body will be comprised of non-traditional students. Our colleagues in other institutions tell of similar success. Is this tinkering around the edges of a problem? You do the maths! – Yours, etc,