No chill factor for Protestants in NI universities: Farry

Stormont's minister responsible for universities has denied there is any 'pervasive under-representation' of Protestants in higher education.
Queen's University Belfast said it was a 'non-denominational university'Queen's University Belfast said it was a 'non-denominational university'
Queen's University Belfast said it was a 'non-denominational university'

He was responding to a report in the News Letter last week, which highlighted the fact that far more Catholics than Protestants are enrolling at universities, teaching colleges, or the Open University in the Province.

The report showed that, when it comes to annual enrolments of Northern Irish students into the Province’s institutions, 29.5 per cent last year were Protestant, and 45.3 per cent Catholic (with the remainder either unknown or classed as ‘other’).

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By contrast, the religious persuasion or background of 18-to-20-year-olds across the whole of the Province stands at 43.3 per cent Protestant, to 48.5 per cent Catholic, according to the census.

The Ulster University said it prided itself on 'providing an open and inclusive environment'The Ulster University said it prided itself on 'providing an open and inclusive environment'
The Ulster University said it prided itself on 'providing an open and inclusive environment'

One possible reason for the gap in enrolments, suggested by DUP education spokesman Peter Weir, was the influence of a “chill factor” felt by some Protestants at Catholic-dominated universities.

Alliance Employment and Skills Minister Dr Stephen Farry responded: “I firmly believe that our two local universities are genuine shared spaces and are committed to equal opportunities practices.

“Let me be clear, there is no pervasive under-representation of Protestants in higher education and there is no evidence that a ‘chill factor’ exists within our higher education sector.”

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He continued: “In 2013/14, over 9,460 Northern Ireland school-leavers entered first year in higher education institutions in the UK, the Republic of Ireland, or elsewhere.”

The Ulster University said it prided itself on 'providing an open and inclusive environment'The Ulster University said it prided itself on 'providing an open and inclusive environment'
The Ulster University said it prided itself on 'providing an open and inclusive environment'

Of these, about 55 per cent were Catholic, 35 per cent Protestant, and 10 per cent ‘other’ – something he said “closely reflects the religious backgrounds of 51 per cent, 39 per cent and 10 per cent recorded for the school-leaver population in 2013/14”.

Mr Farry’s figures paint a less extreme picture of the gap between religious background and higher education than those covered by the News Letter’s report last week, which focused on enrolments in Northern Irish institutions.

Nevertheless, they still indicate that Northern Irish Catholics are more likely than Protestants to enter higher education.

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Dr Farry went on to add that acceptance into universities or teaching colleges is based on merit, and that during 2013/14 about 54 per cent (roughly 6,200 pupils) of Catholic school leavers got at least three A Level passes of grades A to E, compared to 47 per cent (roughly 4,200 pupils) of Protestant school leavers.

He said Northern Ireland has the “best record in the UK in attracting students from low-income backgrounds”, and that his Department for Employment and Learning “has allocated £2.5m each year to help to widen participation from groups which are currently under-represented in higher education”.

He added that he was “disappointed that some continue to seek to misrepresent the facts to create a false impression of the integrated and inclusive nature of our higher education system”.

Queen’s University Belfast described itself as a “non-denominational university which promotes and provides a pluralistic environment,” while the University of Ulster said it “prides itself on providing an open and inclusive environment for all students and is renowned for its widening participation focus and broader community engagement”.

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• In a front-page summary of the original story published on January 19, it was stated that there were 14,195 Protestants joining university last year, and 21,765 Catholics.

This was incorrect – the figures in the story relate to the total student population for each academic year, not only those joining.