A radical proposal from the provost-elect of Trinity College could reduce elitism in the third-level education sector. Can it work?
THE TEACHERS were dedicated. The students were bright, curious and highly capable. Prof Patrick Prendergast, recently elected as Trinity College’s 44th Provost, was impressed with what he saw during his visit to this inner-city Dublin school a few months ago.
But most students here were unlikely to ever pass through the gates of a university campus. Family circumstances, including low income, unemployment and no tradition of attending higher education, exclude a significant portion of students from college – a situation that left Prendergast aghast.
Earlier this week, the provost-elect called for a move “beyond the purely CAO points-based systems”. As part of this, he floated a radical policy idea, suggesting that TCD should consider automatically admitting the top 10 per cent from all state schools.
Prendergast certainly has cause for concern. The Irish TimesFeeder School List clearly shows that geography and family income, rather than special ability, is the key factor in determining which students attend high-points courses in universities, teaching training colleges, College of Surgeons, and the Dublin Institute of Technology.
Seven private, fee-paying schools dominate admissions to Trinity College, sending a combined total of 375 students in 2010. Six of these – the Institute of Education, St Andrews, Blackrock College, the High and Diocesan School, Loreto Beaufort and Gonzaga College – are in south Dublin. The other school, Belvedere College, is in north Dublin.
By contrast, 53 designated disadvantaged secondary schools, dispersed throughout Dublin county and city, sent just 80 students between them to Trinity College.
“As it stands, the Leaving Certificate and the CAO points system is not a level playing field,” says Cliona Hannon, head of the Trinity Access Programme (Tap). “These students all compete in a notionally meritocratic exam, which takes no account of the fact that people’s home and school experiences have varied greatly. The points system is an objective but very blunt instrument for university selection.”
Last year, a major report on the experiences of students who have taken part in the access programme, What Happened Next? The Employment and Further Study Experiences of Graduates of Trinity Access 2002-2008, found that they are securing academic results similar to those of other students. The same outcome is found in several international surveys.
Trinity has a target of 22 per cent of students from under-represented groups, including socio-economically disadvantaged, disabled and mature students. In 2009, 18 per cent of first-year students came from these groups, with 4.56 per cent entering college through the access programme.
“What is on offer in second-level schools differs greatly,” says Hannon. “Some students are doing higher-level subjects in ordinary-level classes. There can be a high teacher turnover in some schools, there is not money available for grinds, or there is limited educational guidance as the schools are typically ‘counselling’ on a range of complex issues.”
Simply reserving places isn’t enough; the real work begins long before students sit their Leaving Cert. The Trinity Access Programme deals with 40 designated disadvantaged schools, working with pupils from the age of 11 upwards on educational guidance, raising aspirations, and academic enrichment. Other universities have similar programmes in place.
Prendergast’s proposal hasn’t been plucked from the air. Percentage plans are gaining popularity in the US. Texan state law is perhaps the most progressive, requiring its universities to guarantee entry to students who graduate in the top 10 per cent of their class.
In Florida, the top 20 per cent of students from each public high school are automatically admitted to a Florida state university. From 2012, the University of California will guarantee admission to one of its campuses to the top 9 per cent of pupils from every school in the state.
But percent plans, introduced as a means of improving racial representation on American campuses, have proven controversial. Critics argue that it puts students from the most competitive schools at an unfair disadvantage. In the Netherlands, a lottery system used to select applicants to university medicine courses was changed following allegations that it benefited average rather than bright students. The potential for similar controversy exists here.
Amy Lucas, a second-year student on Dublin City University’s BA in Contemporary Culture and Society degree course, says that access has given her a chance she may not otherwise have had. She thinks the Prendergast proposal is a good idea in principle, but she has some reservations. “Access is about creating a more level playing pitch, not about giving some people an advantage or one-up over other students. It’s important that conventional students, or those from more affluent backgrounds, aren’t seen as losing out.”
There’s more than social justice at stake. A diverse student body is a key metric for global university rankings, which have become increasingly important in recent years. Ita Tobin, the head of Access Services at Dublin City University, says that a diverse study body leads to a better educational experience for all students.
“Our figures show that access students tend to be heavily engaged in extra-curricular activities and college life,” she says. “It makes social and economic sense to take talent from all sections of the community, and it ensures that the university does not become an elitist institution representing just one section of society.”
Pipedream on tap From plumber to student
He had never been on a college course, but Gary Gannon was surrounded by students. In 2006, he was working as a plumber in Griffith College Dublin. On the surface, Ireland appeared to be booming. Work was plentiful.
“I’d never even considered third-level,” says Gannon, who grew up in a working-class neighbourhood in Drumcondra, north Dublin.
“People who went to college were the exception rather than the rule. I planned to finish my Leaving Cert and get a trade as an apprentice plumber.”
But Gannon saw that the students enjoyed college life. It threw his feelings about plumbing into sharp relief.
He quit the job and, after a one-year Fetac course in Marino College of Further Education, enrolled in Trinity College through its access programme.
Students on Trinity’s Access programme spend a year on a foundation course, giving them a taste for several different subjects. Gannon eventually chose to study for a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Political Science, and is now in his third year.
“Academically, I’m doing as well as my peers,” says Gannon. “I’m getting a really broad education; college has really widened my horizons.”
Gannon is a keen ambassador of university access programmes, and regularly visits disadvantaged schools to inform students about college life.
“I want to show what is possible for students from working-class backgrounds. We need to normalise the idea of college in public schools, and get students thinking about it from an early age.”
Prendergast’s proposals have significant merit, says Gannon.
“It’s not a coincidence that students from affluent areas are much more likely to get into college.
“I don’t resent it, but it’s not necessarily because they’re smarter. It’s because their parents are able to invest in their education from an early age.”
Gannon is aware that the idea may be controversial, but says that the pre-established rules of education don’t allow for an even playing field.
“Some people believe that the cream will always to the top, irrespective of race, disability, or social background. That can be the case for some students from working-class backgrounds, but the evidence shows that without strong access programmes, it is the exception.”
