Ninth Level Ireland

“Irish universities lack the investment to benefit from Brexit – another fall out of gross underfunding of higher education by government, says UCC IFUT member, Rosarii Griffin. UCC Researchers recently organised a discussion on the plight of researchers on temporary contracts, a Researcher Career Framework, and the importance of research to the University life, both nationally and internationally …” (more)

[IFUT, 8 November]

“Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to a national campaign co-ordinated across seven universities regarding a shortfall in funding (details supplied); the steps he is taking to remedy this situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 6 November]

“NUI Galway’s James Hardiman Library has not been invested in or improved upon since 1999, SIN has learned. The other six Irish universities have made investments of at least €20 million in the past ten years to modernise their library buildings, by either extending or replacing them. NUI Galway has made no such investments …” (more)

[Áine Kenny, SIN, 6 November]

“The Save our Spark campaign will fail and it will do so because the institutions have never been transparent enough about how they spend their money. People, including academics in the institutions themselves, see new buildings being constructed, grounds being landscaped, the student ‘experience’ being improved, and new initiatives of all kinds been rolled out, and they wonder where all the money is coming from …” (more)

[An Irish Blog about Education, 5 November]

“Not so long ago, talking out loud about the decline of Ireland’s higher education sector was considered somewhat aberrant behaviour. As Tom Boland, the then-CEO of the Higher Education Authority (HEA), told the Royal Irish Academy in 2015, Ireland could not risk the reputational damage of stakeholders ‘shouting from the rooftops’ about the impact of the funding crisis …” (more)

[University Times, 22 October]

“As Richard Bruton left the Department of Education this week, he left for his successor one big decision to make: what to do about third level education funding. It’s been two years since the publication of the Cassells Report …” (podcast)

[RTÉ – This Week, 21 October]

“The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has expressed its disappointment with the Government’s budget last week for failing to address the number issues facing the third-level education sector …” (more)

[College Tribune, 19 October]

“The outgoing boss of the Higher Education Authority (HEA) quit amid ‘serious concerns’, including a claim there has been a failure to resolve funding issues in the sector. HEA chief executive Dr Graham Love announced his shock decision to resign in August after less than 18 months in the job …” (more)

[Cormac McQuinn, Independent, 18 October]

“Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD, Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills, speaking this morning in Maynooth University highlighted her role in securing agreement in the recent Budget for the €300m multiannual Human Capital Initiative (HCI) for Higher Education (HE) …” (more)

[Department of Education and Skills, 17 October]

“It was with relatively little fanfare that Richard Bruton’s tenure as Minister for Education came to a close, with Bruton shifted to the Department of Communications by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and landed with the unenviable task of salvaging the mess that the national broadband plan has become …” (more)

[Matthew Murphy, University Times, 16 October]

“Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) this evening appealed to students for their views on the future of the campaign for higher education funding, with divisions emerging between those calling for a single-issue education campaign and those arguing for a wider social movement encompassing housing …” (more)

[Aisling Marren and Ciannait Khan, University Times, 16 October]

“The Director General of the Irish Universities Association (IUA) Jim Miley called on Trinity students this evening to ‘put pressure on politicians’ and make higher education funding a political issue. Speaking to a Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) town hall meeting, Miley declared that ‘the state has sat back and refused to make a clear policy position’ on funding for higher education …” (more)

[Lauren Boland, Trinity News, 16 October]

“The Limerick Institute of Technology has been allocated €50,000 in funding from the Department of Education to work towards acquiring technological university status. According to the Department, the funding aims to ‘strengthen collaborative regional clustering and co-operation between higher education and further education and training institutions, including on a cross-border basis, and multi-campus integration’ …” (more)

[Jess Casey, Limerick Leader, 16 October]

“Labour Party Education spokesperson, Senator Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, has said that the new Minister for Education, Joe McHugh, needs to rule out student loan schemes. Senator Ó Ríordáin said: ‘The Government has been sitting on the report carried out by Peter Cassells into the future of higher education funding for months now. Three options were laid on the table, one of which is publicly funded higher education. The onus is on Ministers McHugh and Mitchell O’Connor to get the ball rolling on this extremely important issue …'” (more)

[The Labour Party, 15 October]

“We would like to wish Minister Richard Bruton well in his new role. The third level education funding crisis will be the real test for any new Minister in the Department of Education and Skills, and we look forward to working collaboratively and proactively with Deputy McHugh. Minister McHugh’s appointment comes in the aftermath of Budget 2019 …” (more)

[USI, 15 October]

“The seven universities are taking their campaign for increased funding beyond Leinster House by seeking public support for a petition to back increased funding for higher education. In a significant departure from traditional lobbying in the higher education sector, a €250,000-plus budget is being invested by the Irish Universities Association (IUA) in a multi-media campaign to promote awareness of the issues facing them …” (more)

[Niall Murray, Irish Examiner, 15 October]

“Yesterday morning, on what should have been a serene and uneventful news day for Trinity students the College announced a major funding injection from the European Investment Bank (EIB) for several of its long-term building projects. If Trinity manages to see all of its grandiose plans to the end, the campus will have entirely transformed by 2030 …” (more)

[University Times, 15 October]

“Ireland’s seven universities are turning to the public to put pressure on politicians to provide more State funding. The Irish Universities Association (IUA) has launched a campaign warning of the risk of a ‘serious drop in quality or a shortfall in places for students in the future’ if the funding crisis was not tackled urgently …” (more)

[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 15 October]

“Trinity College Dublin has secured a long-term loan of €100 million from the European Investment Bank to fund four development projects on its campus. These include the soon-to-be-built €60 million E3 Institute, which brings together the subjects of engineering, energy and environment under one roof. The other projects include refurbishment of the arts block, an expansion of the school of law and new student accommodation at Trinity Hall in Dartry, Dublin 6 …” (more)

[Charlie Taylor, Irish Times, 14 October]

“Trinity College Dublin has received the backing of a €100 million loan over a period of 30 years from the world’s largest internationally owned public bank. The loan, from the European Investment Bank, will contribute to four major developments at the university including the expansion of the school of law, the refurbishment of the arts block, a new student accommodation hall and an engineering and technologies initiative …” (more)

[Amy Molloy, Independent, 14 October]