“We are living in a world with a growing housing crisis around the student population; something that is troubling to young people, parents, and guardians as a problem once someone reaches third-level education …” (more)
[Conor Capplis and others, College Tribune, 23 November]
“Earlier this year Prof Kerstin Mey shattered one of the highest and hardest glass ceilings there is in Ireland. Her appointment as president of University of Limerick in July ended a 428-year tradition of men only running Irish universities. By her own admission, the full significance of it only sank in later …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 24 November]
“More than four in 10 students in Ireland believe they acquire very little or just some skills at university and college that will help them get a job, a survey has found. The Irish Survey of Student Engagement, or StudentSurvey.ie, polled 44,707 first year and final year undergraduate students as well as post-graduate students attending third-level institutions this year …” (more)
[Brian Hutton, Irish Times, 24 November]
“In late September, hundreds of students gathered at Spanish Arch in Galway. They were widely condemned for breaching Covid-19 regulations. While student leaders say large gatherings and house parties should not have happened, they point out that the vast majority of students are quietly giving up at least a chunk of their student years to support the battle against coronavirus – and getting little credit for it …” (more)
[Peter McGuire, Irish Times, 24 November]
“Ad-hoc approach by individual colleges would ‘risk chaos for staff and students alike’. The Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT) has called for a single, clear health and safety framework for any reopening of face-to-face teaching in the New Year, saying that without it college administrations are currently planning in a vacuum and devising contradictory measures related to preventing the spread of Covid-19 …” (more)
[IFUT, 23 November]
“An application for technological university status is expected from GMIT, Sligo and Letterkenny, by the end of the year. Last month, €5.7 million was allocated to the Connacht Ulster Alliance consortium in a bid to assist with the application for the designation …” (more)
[Galway Bay FM, 23 November]
“Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the transfer of research and innovation components from Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment; when the transfer will be complete; if the units as they currently exist in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment will be transferred in their entirety; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 19 November]
“Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his views on a circular distributed recently to students of a college (details supplied) which has taken the decision to continue with its online delivery mode for the spring semester that is to stay the remainder of the academic year 2020-2021; the effect this online delivery mode is having on first year students that are lacking the experience of college and the interactions with other first year students; if he will consider intervening with the college to facilitate students to return to campus even on a part-time basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 19 November]
“Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated surplus of the National Training Fund for 2020; the total surplus of the National Training Fund at the end of 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 19 November]
“Taking care of some medical ‘business’ today so can’t really work as such. So I thought I’d have a rant about higher education. The decline in state funding for higher education over the last 10 to 15 years has had one major effect: institutions must now operate as quasi-corporations. I’ve never seen this as some sort of neoliberal takeover, more like a case of needs must …” (more)
[Tales from Academia, 23 November]
“Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar has ruled out significant pay rises for government employees in the next public service agreement. But he described pay inequality for post-2012 recruits as an unfair ‘running sore’, which had never been intended to last forever …” (more)
[Ingrid Miley, RTÉ News, 23 November]
“The ESB has urged the Supreme Court to find University College Cork is liable, along with the ESB, for extensive flood damage to buildings on its campus in 2009. Neil Steen SC, for ESB, disputed arguments made on Monday by Paul Sreenan SC, for UCC, that the college should be found to have no liability in relation to the flood damage …” (more)
[Mary Carolan, Irish Times, 23 November]
“A new technological university with a student population of up to 15,000 students across six campuses has taken a step closer after Limerick Institute of Technology and Athlone Institute of Technology formally submitted its application to Government today …” (more)
[Cathy Halloran, RTÉ News, 23 November]
“Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris today (Monday) welcomed the application to establish a new technological university in the Midlands and Mid-West from Athlone Institute of Technology and Limerick Institute of Technology …” (more)
[gov.ie, 23 November]
“The number of students in direct provision who will qualify for the Susi grant for third level education has increased five-fold after Government changes to qualifying criteria. Last year just five students qualified for Susi (Student Universal Support Ireland) grants for either fees or maintenance or both but 25 students have qualified in the 2020/2021 academic year following a review of the support scheme …” (more)
[Marie O’Halloran, Irish Times, 23 November]
“University lecturers have warned of ‘chaos and confusion’ if there is a return to face-to-face teaching in the new year in the absence of clear health and safety rules. Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris has said he wants to boost on-campus activity for first year students, in particular, early next year amid concern over a potential rise in drop-out rates …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 22 November]
“There have been renewed calls for Health Minister Stephen Donnelly and the HSE to end the practice of unpaid work by student nurses in hospitals across Ireland. The Labour Party’s spokeswoman for higher education, Senator Annie Hoey, called on the Government to act, reiterating that student nurses on the frontline ‘can’t live on applause and platitudes’ …” (more)
[Jack O’Gorman, College Tribune, 21 November]
“International student enrolments in United States universities declined by 16% in autumn 2020 and drops in new student enrolments were more than twice as steep, at 43%, according to data from a snapshot survey designed to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on US higher education. A drop was expected, and researchers anticipate a surge in enrolments after the pandemic has ended, fuelled by pent-up demand and aggressive ongoing recruitment of international students …” (more)
[Mary Beth Marklein, University World News, 16 November]
“The digital divide off campus has been ‘catastrophic’ for large groups of students around the world, but the return to campuses has also been ‘hit and miss’ in different contexts, even in rich countries, according to Roberta Malee Bassett, the global tertiary lead and senior education specialist for the World Bank …” (more)
[Brendan O’Malley, University World News, 21 November]
“The number of students living at Queen’s University in Belfast has fallen ‘marginally’ amid the pandemic. A reduction in the number of twin rooms and international students arriving on campus later were partly responsible, the institution said …” (more)
[Michael McHugh, Belfast Telegraph, 22 November]
