The 10-year-old Ballymun initiative aimed at encouraging more students to go to third-level education, BITE, has been given "a solid endorsement" by the findings of a new study.

The research evaluation, just published, provides "a clear indication of success and a solid endorsement of BITE", writes its author, Scott Boldt.

Up to the beginning of the 1997 academic year, 56 young people from the Ballymun area had availed of the scholarships. In the 1998-1999 academic year, a further 16 young people started off in the first year of third-level.

The data on the effect of the initiative on family and community highlights "the many positive effects that BITE is having on scholarship holders' families", Boldt writes. "Parents, in particular, are very proud of their children's accomplishments, and siblings have been influenced and challenged by the example of scholarship holders.

"The effect on the community, though more difficult to assess, seems to be considerable in its range and depth," he continues. The findings of this research, he says, "are a powerful endorsement of BITE and should prove to be a source of encouragement for its maintenance and continued development".

The initiative, which provides grants and funding to students attending the Ballymun comprehensive schools, has also established support structures, information sessions and other interventions which are both financial and cultural.

"It is noteworthy that the findings suggest that if BITE was solely a funding agency, its impact would be sharply diminished; likewise, if BITE offered encouragement and support with no financial assistance, its achievements would be very limited. "In many cases, it was clear that the nonfinancial support provided by BITE was important not only in sustaining scholarship holders in third level, but also in enhancing their experiences and improving their opportunities at third level and beyond . . . . The high frequency with which scholarship holders reported that, without BITE, they would not have attended third level is a clear indication of success and a solid endorsement of BITE."

He recommends that former scholarship holders attend BITE committee meetings "at least once a year". He also recommends that third-level institutions seek ways to help students by providing adequate counselling and advice services, tuition and peer-support opportunities, and, where appropriate, "mentoring" programmes.