Ninth Level Ireland

“By any measure the Irish third level sector is in financial crisis and students are being shortchanged. In the near-decade since the recession, Irish universities and institutes of technology have suffered significantly. No Irish university appears in the Times Higher Education top 100, published last month …” (more)

[Tom Felle, Irish Times, 3 November]

“The Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT) has called for immediate publication of the Oireachtas Committee Report on Third-Level Funding and an end to Government dithering on increased resources, following publication of new EU data which effectively removes hiking student fees as a source of extra income for the sector …” (more)

[Irish Federation of University Teachers, 2 November]

“Only five years since the current system for funding Home/EU undergraduates at universities in England was introduced, its future is already in serious doubt. Policy proposals, first from Jeremy Corbyn during this year’s General Election campaign and then from Theresa May at the Conservative Party Conference earlier this month, have once again put university fees and student funding at the centre of a national political debate …” (more)

[Helen Carasso, Wonkhe, 30 October]

“Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his views on increasing public funding of third level colleges to reverse the cuts that have taken place since 2008 and to end reliance on private sector funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 25 October]

“Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the degree to which higher education costs have increased over the past number of years; the extent to which the proportion of the national budget under that heading has varied in the past ten years; his plans to ensure continued access to third level for all students seeking to avail of third level education; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 25 October]

“Lisa Chambers (Mayo, Fianna Fail): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to outline the details of the project for GMIT Galway campus in view of his recent announcement of €200 million for 11 major infrastructure projects in the higher education sector; the estimated cost; and when will it be completed …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 24 October]

“The European Investment Bank has agreed to lend €60 million to NUI Galway for campus development. It will help fund the construction of new student accommodation and a new building for the College of Medicine, Nursing, and Health Sciences …” (more)

[RTÉ News, 23 October]

“Mary Mitchell O’Connor, the Minister of State for Higher Education, said she hopes to have a report on funding from the Oireachtas committee considering the sector’s future before Christmas. Speaking on RTÉ Radio One this morning, Mitchell O’Connor said she was waiting on the much-anticipated report from the Oireachtas Education and Skills Committee …” (more)

[Dominic McGrath, University Times, 19 October]

“Thomas Byrne, Fianna Fáil’s Education Spokesperson, has cast doubt on the idea that a consensus can ever be reached on a new funding model for higher education. Responding to a question from The University Times at a post-budget analysis event by the Dublin University Business Society (DUBES), Byrne said it was highly unlikely any agreement could be reached …” (more)

[Dominic McGrath, University Times, 18 October]

“Leo Varadkar’s unclear plans for the proposed ‘Student Loan Scheme’ outraged the Union of Students in Ireland, who led the march for publicly funded education in Dublin on October 3rd …” (more)

[Cait Caden, Irish Times, 13 October]

“Higher-education institutes (HEIs) across Ireland are facing a major funding crisis. The Cassells report, published in March of last year by an expert group, concluded an increase of €600 million in funding annually would be needed by 2021, and a further increase of €1 billion would be needed by 2030. The report outlined three potential solutions for funding …” (more)

[Elizabeth Wells, University Observer, 13 October]

“Yesterday’s Budget was a low-key affair all round. Outside the lobby of Buswells there was the usual hustle and bustle, but across the country, there was little of the usual frenzied anticipation. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Paschal Donohoe, themselves were playing down expectations – this was a ‘balance-the-books’ budget, not a glamorous giveaway …” (more)

[Róisín Power, University Times, 11 October]

“Sinn Féin Spokesperson for Education Kathleen Funchion TD has said that the proposed measures missed an opportunity to address student fees, secondary level education and the early years/childcare sector staffing crisis. Speaking in the Dáil this evening, Teachta Funchion said …” (more)

[Sinn Féin, 11 October]

“Labour Party spokesperson on Education, Senator Aodhán Ó Ríordáin has said that this year’s budget exposes a total lack of vision for the third level sector. Senator Ó Ríordáin commented: ‘This Budget illustrates Fine Gael/Independent Alliance’s poverty of vision for free education. Nowhere is this more evident than in third level funding …'” (more)

[The Labour Party, 11 October]

“Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Education and Skills Thomas Byrne TD says his party has played an important role in securing additional funding for the third level sector in Budget 2018, but has warned that much more funding will be needed in the years ahead …” (more)

[Fianna Fáil, 11 October]

“The Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT) has expressed disappointment at the absence of any specific direct funding initiatives to support third-level education in this year’s Budget …” (more)

[Irish Federation of University Teachers, 10 October]

“€60 million extra for Higher Education in 2018 is a small but significant step in the right direction. When allied to €200 million in public private partnerships, over €250 million in direct capital expenditure over the next four years and a separate allocation to cover national wage agreements, this signposts a change in direction for Higher Education in Ireland …” (more)

[Graham Love, Higher Education Authority, 11 October]

“The annual levy employers pay towards higher education will be raised, contributing €200 million to the funding of higher education for the next three years. The proposed increase was laid out in Budget 2018. The National Training Fund (NTF) levy, incorporated into the employer’s share of PRSI, will to be raised from 0.7% to 0.8% next year, which would raise €47.5 million additional funding for the higher and further education sectors, according to Minister of Finance, Paschal Donohoe …” (more)

[Sarah Meehan and Aisling Grace, Trinity News, 10 October]

“Funding for further education courses is to be linked with high performance under a new funding model to be rolled out shortly. More than 200,000 people participate in further education courses each year, including school-leavers and adults seeking ‘second chance’ education. However, in a report over the summer the Department of Public Expenditure found there was a ‘fragmented’ and “disjointed” approach to the way more than €800 million was being spent in the sector …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 11 October]

“The government has announced a €47.5 million increase in funding for the higher and further education sector in today’s Budget 2018, a significant increase in financial support as the sector waits for a final decision on a funding model. The government will also make €310 million available to 2021 to address the infrastructure needs of the sector …” (more)

[Dominic McGrath and Kathleen McNamee, University Times, 10 October]