There is a dramatic difference between Travellers & non-Travellers regarding early school leaving, “with 91 per cent of Travellers leaving school at age 16 or younger, compared to 25 per cent of non-Travellers. In fact, 28 per cent of Travellers leave before age 13, compared to 1 per cent of non-Travellers”[1].

“One-quarter of working-age Travellers have no formal education and 53 per cent have only primary education, compared to figures of 1 per cent and 9 per cent, respectively, for non-Travellers in the same age range. At the other end of the scale, only 8 per cent of working-age Travellers have completed second level education or above, compared to 73 per cent of non-Travellers. Only 1 per cent of Travellers have degree-level education compared to 30 per cent among non-Travellers.”[1]

“In the 25 to 64 age group, Travellers have 33 times the odds of having left education without completing the Leaving Certificate or equivalent compared to non-Travellers.”[1]

[1] D. Watson, O.Kenny & F. McGinnity. 2017 A Social Portrait of Travellers in Ireland, The Economic and Social Research Institute