Students from the northside of Dublin are less likely to proceed to third level than their counterparts elsewhere in the city, with fewer than one in eight school-leavers in some areas doing so, it was revealed yesterday.
This compares with almost four out of every eight students overall in the city, and indicates that where a student lives has a significant impact on his or her chances of making it to third level.
According to the Northside Partnership, which is responsible for promoting enterprise, employment, community development and education in the area, students throughout the northside of Dublin are statistically less likely to go to college than students who grow up elsewhere in the country.
Citing figures in a recent Higher Education Authority study, it said that last year 54 per cent of all school-leavers nationwide continued on to third-level courses. However, the rate for Dublin students was lower, at 45 per cent - with large parts of north Dublin falling well below even this rate.
For example, only 12 per cent of students in the Dublin 17 area - including locations such as Belcamp, Coolock and Darndale - went on to further education.
Speaking at the announcement of its education trust scholarships for students from low-income families, Noel Kelly, education co-ordinator with the Northside Partnership, said it believed all those interested in pursuing a third-level education should have the right to do so.
"Financial barriers should be removed where possible. That is why this scheme is fundamentally important to get the young people in this area on the third-level education ladder," Mr Kelly said. "When you consider that students from areas such as Coolock and Darndale are 4½ times less likely to attend a third- level institution than the average student from around the country, it is clear that this scheme is an absolute necessity."
A total of 14 students, ranging from first years to those continuing their studies, received scholarships for the forthcoming academic year under this year's scheme.
Students receive scholarships ranging from €1,000 to €2,500. In total, over €110,000 has been raised for the Northside Partnership's education trust, with the majority of this figure coming from local businesses and organisations. Twenty-three students have benefited from the scheme since it was launched in 2002.
Also speaking at yesterday's launch in Ayrfield, which was attended by Minister for Education Mary Hanafin, John Carr of the Irish National Teachers' Organisation said there was a need for the State to make a commitment to a "real distribution of resources.
"A nominated percentage of the education budget, amounting to at least 15 per cent, must be targeted at disadvantage," he said.
Meanwhile, the Dublin Port Company yesterday announced details of a €40,000 scholarship fund for students living in the port area of Dublin who otherwise might have difficulty progressing to third-level education.