Though much was made in the recent Inside Trinity documentary of expanding access to disadvantaged students, figures from the Annual Equality Monitoring report demonstrate that this is easier said than done. Despite substantial efforts from Trinity to increase the number of disadvantaged students attending this university, the proportion of those from unskilled backgrounds is relatively unchanged in the past five years. Of 2014/15 new entrants, children of unskilled, semi-skilled, manual and agricultural workers amounted to 10.2 per cent.
While this is not a trend specific to Trinity, it is something that Trinity has worked hard to address. Established in 1993, the Trinity Access Programme (TAP) is the cornerstone of the university’s sustained efforts to increase representation of disadvantaged groups. TAP provides significant academic, social and financial support to individuals from ethnic minorities or socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds to better access university, amounting to substantial financial investment from Trinity, the European Social Fund, and a range of corporate and individual donors.
However, the stall in growth suggests that something is not working in efforts to expand access. Speaking at the Oireachtas Education and Skills Committee meeting last week, Senator Lynn Ruane – a vocal supporter of expanded access to education and a TAP student herself – made the important point that removing financial barriers can only propel access programmes so far. Increased monetary support is useful, but does not change the underlying culture that discourages university attendance among some groups.
There may be an upper limit on how much financial incentives will propel students into university. Non-completion rates – in essence, whether a student drops out – are highest in the first year of university education, indicating that the pressures of third level go far beyond financial ones. The Report of the Action Group on Access to Third Level Education contended that disadvantaged students would require support services that did not isolate them from other students and instead integrate them into the university community by encouraging their participation in social and cultural aspects.
Politicians and senior academics like the Provost speak regularly about the importance of increasing access, and one cannot doubt their sincerity. However, the stagnation of access figures suggests that something needs to change. Though Trinity has worked hard to create a more inclusive culture in the university, the difficult reality is that more will need to be done if progress is to be made. What precisely can be done, however, remains in question.
