“NUI Galway (NUIG) has defended its decision to threaten legal action over the removal of a blog run by supporters of a former academic at the centre of a high-profile gender equality row at the college …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 31 May]
“NUI Galway’s solicitors have written to Automattic Inc, the company that owns WordPress.com, threatening the company with legal proceedings for defamation. They also wrote to the Micheline’s Three Conditions campaign, using our e-mail address, threatening the same …” (more)
[Micheline’s Three Conditions, 31 May]
“The new Stormont Executive is being urged to splash the cash on our universities. The head of Queen’s University has warned of a brain drain in Northern Ireland unless there is more investment in higher education …” (more, audio)
[The Nolan Show, BBC NI, 31 May]
“The University of Limerick is facing pressure to launch an independent investigation into a series of allegations relating to financial irregularities and human resources practices. An independent review commissioned by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) confirmed earlier this year that some staff at UL had filed irregular expense claims, including mileage payments for trips between home and the college …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 31 May]
“Female students at the country’s top colleges expect to earn a starting salary on average of €40,000 when they graduate – around €4,000 more than last year. But it’s still less than what their male counterparts expect to earn, even though their expectations have fallen slightly …” (more)
[Colm Kelpie, Independent, 31 May]
“There’s a fair chance Minister for Education Richard Bruton let out a big sigh of relief on Monday evening. The Teachers’ Union of Ireland’s (TUI) decision to accept a Government deal averts the prospect of all-out war with teachers. It also means the Lansdowne Road agreement – which has been creaking under the weight of calls for pay restoration – can be taped back together for now …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 31 May]
“Students working in Berkeley, California on a J1 visa say they have encountered difficulties in securing accommodation because they are Irish. One young woman told The Pat Kenny Show on Newstalk that she was advised to ‘stay off balconies’, almost a year since six students died in a balcony collapse in the city …” (more)
[Joe Leogue, Irish Examiner, 31 May]
“In the United Kingdom at least there now appears to be a belief that assuring quality means measuring things. This, as we have noted previously in this blog, lies at the heart of the Research Excellence Framework …” (more)
[Ferdinand von Prondzynski, University Blog, 31 May]
“While output per head is today higher than before the crisis, total employment is still well below its peak. The recession’s aftershock is experienced by those who are still out of work. The recent economic crisis moved Ireland from a position of near full employment at the beginning of 2008 to an unemployment rate of 15% in 2011 …” (more)
[John FitzGerald, Irish Times, 31 May]
“Derry’s Chamber of Commerce has warned that the expansion of Magee is now ‘essential’ if the city is to safeguard future employment. The President of the Chamber Gavin Killeen was speaking after it emerged that around 70 jobs are to go at Derry’s largest private sector employer …” (more)
[Brendan McDaid, Derry Journal, 31 May]
“100 new recruits will begin a 3-year online programme of study in September 2016 and at the same time earn a salary. Apprenticeship training in Ireland is set to be transformed by the introduction of a new honours degree programme aimed at preparing insurance professionals for the world of work …” (more)
[Education Matters, 31 May]
“Major divisions have opened up within secondary schools after the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) voted to continue working additional hours what were introduced in the austerity era. The vote means members of the union – which represents about one-in-three teachers – stand to benefit from pay increments and new payments for supervision and substitution from this autumn …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 30 May]
“The impact of austerity-era cuts has been felt across the public sector. Teachers, gardaí, nurses and other public servants have faced reduced pay, pension levies and longer working hours. Younger workers have been hit hardest and, in some cases, are on reduced payscales, low hours and are struggling to make ends meet …” (more)
[Editorial, Irish Times, 30 May]
“Students could have earlier decisions on applications for college grants this year as a result of improvements to the €375m scheme. Among these are the earlier opening date to apply to Student Universal Support Ireland (Susi), which has been accepting details online since April 5. Last year, students could not apply until late April …” (more)
[Niall Murray, Irish Examiner, 30 May]
“Public servants ‘attacked’ during the economic crisis are entitled to early pay restoration, the head of the nursing union has said. Liam Doran general secretary of Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, said comments from Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe on pay restoration are ‘very disappointing’ …” (more)
[Vivienne Clarke, Irish Times, 30 May]
“More students could receive grants, or higher payments than those they were previously eligible for, this year. In line with recommended changes to the student grant scheme, previous education minister Jan O’Sullivan announced some improvements in April …” (more)
[Niall Murray, Irish Examiner, 30 May]
“As recent strikes in the UK show, simply increasing student fees is not sufficient to address many of the issues plaguing the sector …” (more)
[University Times, 29 May]
“An increase in student fees of €1,000 would be insufficient to solve the funding gap in the higher education sector, and an even greater fee increase is needed, according to a paper prepared by officials at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform …” (more)
[Chris McMahon, University Times, 28 May]
“Brendan Walsh, emeritus professor of national economics at University College Dublin (UCD), was an inspiring teacher and foremost in his generation researching Ireland’s economic and social problems …” (more)
[Independent, 23 May]
“All publicly funded scientific papers published in Europe could be made free to access by 2020, under a ‘life-changing’ reform ordered by the European Union’s science chief, Carlos Moedas. The Competitiveness Council, a gathering of ministers of science, innovation, trade and industry, agreed on the target following a two-day meeting in Brussels last week …” (more)
[Nadia Khomami, Guardian, 28 May]
