A sizeable number of Irish teenagers are not in the points race and continue to be excluded from third-level, an inner-city group said yesterday.
The Inner City Organisations Network (ICON), an umbrella body for more than 70 youth, education and community groups in Dublin's north-east inner city, urged the Government to set up an education task force to co-ordinate responses to education and social disadvantage. ICON's spokesman, Mr Tim O'Brien, said: "We need to redress decades of educational disadvantage in the heart of the capital. Some kids aren't even in the points race."
A Higher Education Authority report last year found that children of higher professionals dominated access to third level.
Trinity College Dublin, the National College of Ireland, the Dublin Adult Learning Centre and the Dublin Inner City Partnership, among others, support ICON's call for a task force.
ICON said it envisaged the task force would take an action oriented approach "that emphasises lifelong learning and the value of both formal and informal education".
Mr O'Brien said: "With the commitment of all the key statutory and community groups, such a task force could facilitate a broad, comprehensive and long-term strategy as well as maximising the achievements of existing initiatives."
Mr O'Brien acknowledged there were a number of valuable, worthwhile initiatives from the Government, the Department of Education and other agencies to counter educational disadvantage.
"But there is a strong feeling within the community that the drive to redress social and educational disadvantage would benefit from the establishment of a task force.
"People don't want to reinvent the wheel we just want to improve the way it goes round.
"And where there are gaps in services and supports, they must be filled as part of a co-ordinated and integrated response," Mr O'Brien said.