“Mary Mitchell O’Connor, TD, Minister of State for Higher Education, today 2nd of November, 2017, launched an online resource to assist higher level institutions to create effective student retention strategies and to enhance student experiences …” (more)
[Teaching and Learning, 2 November]
“Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein): I raised this Commencement matter because the issue in question is coming to the fore. Many students, educationalists and teachers in the North are noticing and falling foul of a particular anomaly where there is a difference in the recognition of the A-level grading system by institutions in the South. This has only been exacerbated by Brexit …” (more)
[Seanad debates, 24 October]
“A new international report into entrepreneurship education in Ireland has called on colleges and the government to continue supporting startups – and asked universities to be ‘innovative’ themselves as they look to engage with businesses across the world …” (more)
[Róisín Power, University Times, 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]
“A total of 11 institutes of technology are to share €200m for major building projects to create state-of-the-art facilities for science, engineering and computing. The 11 projects, to be built under the Public Private Partnership programme (PPP), are designed to help drive regional development and meet skills needs in their areas …” (more)
[Independent, 16 October]
“Mary Mitchell O’Connor has made her most strident comments in the higher education funding debate today. As students prepare to march in their thousands for publicly funded education, she warned them not to fear financial pressure. In a statement today before the March for Education makes it way to Leinster House …” (more)
[Eleanor O’Mahony, University Times, 4 October]
“Maria Byrne (Fine Gael): I welcome the Minister of State and thank her for coming here to take these matters. I wish to highlight the importance of Mary Immaculate College in Limerick in terms of teacher training. The college was founded in 1898 and is the oldest training college in the State for primary school teachers. It was started by the Sisters of Mercy as part of their convent on the South Circular Road and has expanded over many years …” (more)
[Seanad debates, 3 October]
“The government will give Irish universities €500,000 to promote collaboration with universities from around the world. A new fund, set to be managed by the Higher Education Authority (HEA), will make the funding available to colleges across the country …” (more)
[University Times, 2 October]
“Minister of State for Higher Education Mary Mitchell O’Connor has said she is happy to forgo a salary increase for her new role as a super junior Minister after a report found she is ineligible for the payment. Ms Mitchell O’Connor has been informed she is not entitled to an extra €16,288-a-year allowance, which is given to Ministers of State who attend Cabinet meetings …” (more)
[Sarah Bardon, Irish Times, 26 September]
“In the 425th anniversary of Trinity’s foundation, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told an audience in the College that he couldn’t support a funding model that would see students ‘saddled with enormous debt’. The thorny issue of a funding model has dominated debate in the higher education sector over the last several years …” (more)
[Dominic McGrath, University Times, 26 September]
“Colleges have reported a surge of interest among homeowners interested in renting rooms out to students in light of the crisis in accommodation. Minister for Education Richard Bruton and Minister of State with responsibility for higher education Mary Mitchell O’Connor last week appealed to householders to consider ‘digs’ as an accommodation option …” (more)
[Peter McGuire, Irish Times, 28 August]
“The Minister for Education and Skills, Richard Bruton, TD, and the Minister of State for Higher Education, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, TD, today (Wednesday 23rd August) announced €16.5m for new initiatives to widen access to higher education over the next three years, with a strong focus on helping lone parents to access higher level education …” (more)
[Department of Education and Skills, 23 August]
“We spoke to Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD, Minister of State at the Department of Education with special responsibility for Higher Education. Keelin Shanley began by asking her how concerned she is about where all of those students are going to live” (audio).
[RTÉ – News at One, 22 August]
“In July, the Higher Education Authority issued this year’s figures for gender percentages in Irish Universities and other higher-education institutions. Because this Web page focused on the four female lecturers’ mediation coming to an end at NUI Galway, we made no comment on the HEA report – and we didn’t produce an updated version of our table ranking the Irish Universities. But we found we didn’t need to …” (more)
[Micheline’s Three Conditions, 4 August]
“The new minister for higher education has been warned of an ‘unprecedented demand’ for affordable student accommodation. Mary Mitchell O’Connor has been told of the ‘significant challenges’ in addressing the issue, as parents and students face into the scramble to find accommodation for the academic year ahead …” (more)
[Cormac McQuinn, Independent, 25 July]
“Ireland is short of 23,000 purpose-built student bed spaces to meet the demand from college-goers this autumn, according to a new report that outlines plans to tackle the deficit up to 2024. While demand for student beds is put at 57,075 this year, only 33,441 spaces are available in dedicated student complexes, whether on campus or developed by private providers …” (more)
[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 21 July]
“More college students are choosing Ireland as a study destination because of Brexit. Evidence of the trend can be found at Trinity College Dublin, according to Provost Dr Patrick Prendergast. ‘We have seen some evidence of increased numbers of non-EU students applying to Trinity courses and I think other Irish universities are seeing something of an uplift’, he said …” (more)
[Joyce Fegan and Niall Murray, Irish Examiner, 21 July]
“With a target of providing 21,000 student beds by 2024, the Minister for Education and Skills, Richard Bruton, launched the government’s plan to address a student housing crisis that has for years tested the resources of universities and students’ unions …” (more)
[Eleanor O’Mahony and Dominic McGrath, University Times, 20 July]
“The development of the first National Student Accommodation Strategy is a key action in the Government’s Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness. It has been developed by the Department of Education and Skills (DES), together with the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (DHPCLG), as well as key stakeholders to introduce measures to support the delivery of an increased level of supply of Purpose Built Student Accommodation …” (more, download)
[Department of Education and Skills, 20 July]
“On Monday, Minister for Education Richard Bruton and Minister of State for Higher Education, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, announced amendments to the Technological Universities Bill, which do not include the possibility of an institute of technology gaining university status without merging with another educational institution. It is now intended that the revised Bill will be re-introduced at Committee stage early in the next Dáil session …” (more)
[Robert Grace, Athlone Advertiser, 20 July]
