Wexford is to make a strong case to the Minister for Education for the inclusion of local schools in a major initiative aimed at reducing early school-leaving rates.
A £4.5 million package to encourage 40 schools, yet to be selected, to devise their own plans to deal with the problem was announced last week by Mr Martin.
As far as Wexford is concerned, the initiative could not have been better timed, coming just two months after the publication of a study showing the town and surrounding areas have a serious early school-leaving problem.
The study, carried out for Wexford Area Partnership by the social studies research unit at NUI Cork, found that more than 150 people a year are dropping out of schools in Wexford town prior to sitting the Leaving Cert.
It also found that official figures had underestimated the extent and nature of the problem to date. The study's findings were consistent with research carried out elsewhere which has associated early school-leaving with negative consequences such as unemployment, poverty and social exclusion.
Wexford Area Partnership has already implemented an action plan to tackle the problem and has appointed an early school-leaving project co-ordinator, Mr Kevin Cronin, who says it needs to be recognised that the south-east in general, and Wexford in particular, is "a proven black-spot in education".
One of the projects being set up is a Leaving Cert. applied programme for 18- to 21-year-olds, a group which Mr Cronin says has been neglected to date. "If you're over 21 you can keep your social welfare entitlements and resume your studies, but there's nothing in place for 18- to 21-year-olds who left early."
In another school, a preventative approach is being adopted by attempting to identify in advance those who are most at risk of dropping out early.
In overall terms, the study emphasises that schools cannot tackle the problem alone and there must be a multi-agency response. This is precisely the type of approach advocated by Mr Martin, who said this "key requirement" would have to be met by any projects applying for funding under the new scheme.
Mr Cronin says the Minister's statement shows that Wexford is addressing the issue in the right way. "We have our finger on the pulse as to how to solve the problem," he adds, "but we need to get the resources to do it properly."