ALMOST HALF of medical students and over one-third of law students come from professional family backgrounds, according to a new report.
But it says lower socio- economic groups such as non-manual workers, semi-skilled or unskilled workers are still hugely under-represented on these courses. Not one student entering university courses in pharmacy or medicine in 2008/2009 came from an unskilled background.
The findings of the report from the Higher Education Authority (HEA) bolster the view advanced by Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe that the “free fees” regime has failed to widen access.
Fees were abolished in the mid-1990s. While access for most courses has widened, the new report shows the most prestigious courses still remain largely the preserve of the middle and upper classes. The report details how the children of higher professionals continue to dominate law, medicine and other high-point CAO courses.
While higher professionals (doctors, solicitors, barristers, engineers, pharmacists etc) account for just 5 per cent of the population, their children account for close to one-third of students on“blue-chip” CAO courses.
The HEA report found that 32 per cent of first years in medicine, 27 per cent in veterinary medicine, 23 per cent in law and 19 per cent in pharmacy come from higher professional family backgrounds.
Overall, the children of higher professionals account for 13 per cent of those entering university.
The report indicates the children of both higher professionals and lower professionals (for example , teachers and nurses) are over-represented at third level. Children of farmers are particularly well represented on pharmacy and veterinary courses.
Last night, Tom Boland, chief executive of the HEA, said: “It is a remarkable feature of our higher education system that some of the high-profile professions have not become more diverse in their student intake. The socioeconomic profile on these courses has changed very little over the past decade.” He said this was in stark contrast with most other fields of study where participation in higher education by traditionally under-represented groups has significantly improved. “It begs the question why these young people are not making the transition from second level to careers in medicine, law and other professions.”
He said one of the aims of the Health Professions Admissions Test, introduced this year in combination with the Leaving Cert for admission to medicine, was to increase diversity.“There is also a challenge here to the professions to question the appropriateness of this outcome in terms of social equity and the role of the professions in society . . . and to explore the measures they can put in place to ensure greater diversity among their members.”
