Due to public health restrictions arising from the pandemic adult, further and community education is now provided online, resulting in a drastically different learner experience. Moreover, we know that online learning needs three things: devices, the internet and the skills to engage, and digital poverty is a prominent issue facing adult learners, in addition to existing barriers to participation.
In pre-COVID-19 times (2019), the lifelong learning participation rate in Ireland was approximately 12.5%, yet for those with less than a Leaving Certificate level qualification, it is about 3%. As there has been an unequivocal exacerbation of educational disadvantage over this time, we are yet to see the actual impact on participation rates. The prolonged impact of the pandemic warrants a long-term commitment to addressing the fallout from COVID-19 on those most educationally disadvantaged across the tertiary education system.
AONTAS calls for:
An action-focused, resourced, strategy to address the long-term impact of COVID-19 on engagement, retention and progression across tertiary education, with a specific focus on marginalised learners and the community education and FET sector. This would include:
- An extended MAEDF[1] that builds on the reported learning of round one of the fund
- Equity in learner supports (including financial) across community, further and higher education
- Addressing the ongoing issue of digital poverty (devices, broadband, skills)
- A resourced outreach and engagement initiatives to engage marginalised learner cohorts
AONTAS is committed to collective global efforts for educational equality and the kick-off of the #weareALE campaign is timely as we work towards inclusive recovery.
[1] Mitigating Against Educational Disadvantage Fund – financial package of €8million for community education
