Ninth Level Ireland

“Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the funding that has been approved for an institution (details supplied) in the past three years; the funding that has been specifically indicated for the campus at a location as part of that funding; the system used to ensure that allocations are used for the purpose proposed; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 22 January]

“Controversial proposals for a student loan scheme to fund third-level education are being referred by the Government to the European Commission for detailed economic analysis. The move is set to push back any decision on a future funding model for higher education by at least a year …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 19 January]

“The growing reliance of Irish third-level colleges on fees from foreign students and other non-State funding is laid bare in a new report out today. Third-level enrolments hit a record high of 232,000 in 2017/18, including 17,237 non-EU students, according to data from the Higher Education Authority (HEA) …” (more)

[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 18 January]

“Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh TD and Minister of State for Higher Education Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD today announced that a call for applications has issued to higher education institutions in relation to the newly established Higher Education Strategic Infrastructure Fund …” (more)

[Department of Education and Skills, 11 January]

“Leaving Cert reform: decision time: Classrooms in the run-up to the Leaving can resemble military training grounds where students are drilled to produce perfect answers to potential questions based on marking schemes. Students are stressed, teachers have little choice, creativity suffers …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 7 January]

“These welcome fainéant days between Christmas and the New Year offer time for reflection and synthesis as well as an opportunity to envisage a fresh approach to activity in the coming calendar year. Higher education can look back with mixed feeling on the year just parting. The central challenge of funding remains unresolved. Given a minority government, it was never likely that the necessary consensus would be discovered to address the proposals of the expert group chaired by Peter Cassells that reported in 2016 …” (more)

[Joseph Ryan, Irish Times, 31 December]

“Trade unions are seeking an urgent meeting with the Minister for Education to raise ‘grave concerns’ over plans to give big business a greater say in where hundreds of millions of euro in university investment will be spent. It follows an Irish Times report which said a new ‘oversight arrangement’ is to be established which will facilitate employers having a greater say in the strategic direction of €300 million in education spending …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 17 December]

“Employers and big business will have a key say in where hundreds of millions of euro in education investment will go over the coming years, according to internal Government documents. Last October, the Government announced details of a new five-year €300 million ‘human capital initiative’ for higher and further education …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 10 December]

“Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the degree to which he remains satisfied regarding the extent to which the third and fourth-level educational sector here remains adequate to meet competition from overseas; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 28 November]

“To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the future of funding for third-level education here; if he will rule out the introduction of third-level education loans as a means of funding third level education here; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Thomas Pringle, 29 November]

“The State regulatory body for higher education is seeking new laws which would clarify its independence from the Department of Education. There was controversy earlier this year when the Higher Education Authority’s (HEA) chief executive Dr Graham Love resigned amid frustration over what sources described as ‘micro-managing’ by the department …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 23 November]

“Many Irish commentators have stated that some Irish businesses and institutions will benefit from Brexit, in the form of multinationals relocating here. The Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom have long historical ties in nearly every regard, whether they be social, political or economic …” (more)

[Gavin Tracey, University Observer, 21 November]

“Provost Patrick Prendergast has defended the College’s record on philanthropy and commercialisation, insisting that relying on government funding would mean that ‘everything would have continued to tumble down’. Speaking frankly about the state of public funding in an address to staff and students …” (more)

[Eleanor O’Mahony and Donal MacNamee, University Times, 19 November]

“Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to fund the third level education sector; the way in which he will address the recent years of serious underfunding of the sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 13 November]

“The proposal was always going to be crazy but what makes it insulting is its timing, writes Victoria White. The commitment by Mary Mitchell O’Connor, the minister of state at the Department of Education with special responsibility for higher education, to create 45 women-only professorships in our third level institutions at the cost of €6m per annum comes when these institutions are struggling for their lives …” (more)

[Irish Examiner, 15 November]

“The first 15 of 45 women-only professorships to be created in Irish higher education are expected to be in place by September, as part of the radical initiative to tackle gender discrimination in academia. The Government has set aside €800,000 in funding for 2019 to support the appointments …” (more)

[Cormac McQuinn and Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 13 November]

“Forty-five women-only senior academic roles in third level institutions will be on offer over the next three years to accelerate gender equality under a government plan. Higher education minister Mary Mitchell O’Connor has insisted that she’s not concerned at potential legal challenges to offering jobs to one gender only. She said there has been ‘rigorous legal assessment’ of the Gender Action Plan 2018-2020 to ensure it complies with national and European Union laws …” (more)

[Cormac McQuinn, Independent, 12 November]

“The Government is to fund dozens of women-only professorships over the next three years to help ‘eradicate gender inequality’ in higher education institutions. It follows the recommendations of a taskforce which says dramatic steps are needed to ensure more women occupy key leadership positions …” (more)

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

“As of 2016 the Irish Government’s spending on higher education amounted to 1.9% of its total expenditure. That’s compared to a Eurozone average of 1.5%. Our total education spend was at 12.1% compared to a Eurozone average of 9.7%. At the same time we spent 19.2% of our budget on health compared to a Eurozone average of 15% …” (more)

[An Irish Blog about Education, 9 November]

“The chair of the Higher Education Authority tried to convince its chief executive to reverse his decision to resign over issues such as the risks posed to colleges from underfunding, new records show. Dr Graham Love announced his resignation from the regulatory body for the third-level sector last August, a year and a half after taking up the role …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 10 November]