Young people's ability to read, write and count may be "at crisis level" in Northern Ireland, Dr Patrick Murphy, the director of the Belfast Institute of Further and Higher Education, has told a conference on under-achievement in education.
Dr Murphy was addressing the annual conference of the Association of Northern Ireland Education and Library Boards in Newcastle, Co Down.
He said that in the first two weeks of September, more than 250 young people aged 16 and 17 had enrolled on a work-training programme at his institute. Only 14 per cent of them were competent enough in reading, writing and mathematics to be able to begin a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) Level 2 programme. This, he said, was equivalent to Junior Cert level, but with a vocational emphasis.
Another 31 per cent required further assessment and the remaining 55 per cent needed "immediate training in what is traditionally referred to as 3R work".
"The major division in Northern Ireland is not between unionists and nationalists, but between `haves' and `have nots'. In educational terms, the `haves' are wellfunded, but the `have nots' are being abandoned."
He called for the politicians at the Stormont talks to address this issue. "They talk about building a new society, but where is the economic foundation for it? Where is the skilled workforce to compete on the international market? The government regards NVQ Level 2, or equivalent, as the basic educational qualification to equip the country's workforce to develop our international competitiveness.
"If only one in seven young people entering training programmes . . . have literacy and numeracy skills adequate for undertaking NVQ Level 2, there is something seriously wrong with government thinking."
Dr Tony Gallagher, reader in education at Queen's University Belfast, said the last British government's introduction of free parental choice for school places had put Northern Ireland's secondary schools at an automatic disadvantage to grammar schools. Only the latter, with a few exceptions, are allowed to choose pupils on the basis of ability as measured by selection tests at age 11. This had led to a widening gap between the high achievements of the grammar schools and the very low achievements of many secondary schools in disadvantaged areas.
He cited a recent international survey showing the achievements of 16-year-olds in various countries at GCSE - equivalent to Junior Cert - levels in various countries. A total of 66 per cent in France had obtained the three highest grades in maths, science and a language; 62 per cent in Germany; 50 per cent in Japan; 27 per cent in England and 22 per cent in Northern Ireland.