BEN P. DOYLE,
A chara, - I was shocked but not surprised by reading Emmet Oliver's articles of March 26th on the great divide in the education system.
Prof John Clancy's recent analysis of data from colleges, the CAO and the Department of Education has shown what many of us already knew: there are two education systems at work in this country.
While the percentage of young people from the leafy suburbs of Dublin who attend third-level colleges continue to grow, areas such as north and west Dublin are showing a disturbing downward trend.
We must be realistic in assuming that young school-levers from certain areas might not have the financial support needed for college and we should not be surprised that some opt for the job market instead. This should be a wake-up call to the Department of Education.
We must look seriously at how this money is spent on education.
Part-time fees must be abolished. Accessible part-time education for young and mature students will help to grow a culture of third-level learning within a community.
We also need to promote a more progressive approach to third-level education without the need for traditional classrooms, e.g. distance learning, learning contracts, etc.
We also need to cater for the immediate education needs of the community.
Ballyfermot has a splendid senior college catering for studies in the broadcasting and media studies. But with only a 7.1 pert cent rate of admission to college from this area (the lowest in the State), is this the curriculum suitable for our community?
We all know that a better educated society make fewer demands on health services, social welfare and housing. Time and money spent on education is cost-effective for the future of all our society.It's time for a fully inclusive higher education system. - Is mise,
BEN P. DOYLE,
Gurteen Park,
Ballyfermot,
Dublin 10.