Ninth Level Ireland

“Last week, hundreds of students woke to find that their living arrangements for the upcoming trimester had been turned upside down. Montrose student residence, which is situated next to University College Dublin’s (UCD) main campus and is ran by the Aparto management company, told its current and incoming residents that it would be closing immediately, just weeks ahead of the start of the academic year …” (more)

[Gemma Farrell, College Tribune, 18 August]

“One of the many things that Winston Churchill never said (referring to Americans) is that they ‘… will always do the right thing – after exhausting all the alternatives’. Yesterday the UK Government performed a U-turn on its approach to A-level results but only after extensive protests and after causing immense stress to a great many students …” (more)

[In the Dark, 18 August]

“Leaving Cert students will have to wait for at least week after their results come out if they want to know how their teachers assessed them. And they will not be able to see their teachers’ estimated marks and the class-ranking they got unless they apply to appeal the result, the Department of Education has confirmed …” (more)

[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 18 August]

“Queen’s University in Belfast has said it may have to offer courses to up to 1,000 extra students whose A-level grades will improve after changes to the way results are calculated. The Stormont Executive contributes around £4,000 to the annual fee for each local undergraduate in Northern Ireland, so an additional £4m would be required to cover the cost of those extra places …” (more)

[Vincent Kearney, RTÉ News, 18 August]

“Irish students have launched a campaign urging the Government not to use a controversial algorithm to calculate Leaving Certificate results. The method said to be used for Irish students was previously used in the UK for A-level results which were issued on July 13th …” (more)

[BreakingNews.ie, 18 August]

“There has been a long tradition stretching back to the foundation of the State of paying close attention to legislation drafted in Whitehall. We inherited a body of law from the ‘mother of all parliaments’ in Westminster and mirroring UK amendments to this legislative inheritance might appear to be the safest option, unless there was clear evidence that such changes would not be politically acceptable in Ireland …” (more)

[Brian Mooney, Irish Times, 18 August]

“The Government has announced a new development for Limerick Institute of Technology’s campus, as part of a series of major capital projects to increase student capacity nationwide. Minister for Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris announced that there will be an increase of 8,000 additional student spaces across the country, thanks to a programme to deliver 11 new higher education buildings …” (more)

[Fintan Walsh, Limerick Leader, 18 August]

“Extension plans for Letterkenny Institute of Technology have been announced as part of a national project to deliver 11 new higher education buildings, facilitating 8,000 additional student enrolments …” (more)

[Highland Radio, 18 August]

“Professor Paul Bartholomew has been appointed as the new Vice Chancellor of Ulster University (UU). The academic had a career in the NHS as a diagnostic radiographer for many years before moving into higher education in 2001 …” (more)

[Andrew Madden, Belfast Telegraph, 18 August]

“A new STEM/Agri-Tech building is to be constructed in Tralee. Minister for Education Norma Foley has confirmed the department’s plans for this new facility, which will be built at the Institute of Technology Tralee’s North Campus …” (more)

[Radio Kerry, 18 August]

“Whether your birds are tots or about to fledge, the cost of college is a worry. If they are still young, you have time to save. If you have a prospective ‘fresher’, from September 11th, they will know what they skill study and where. So how much does a third-level education cost these days, and how can parents and students save money? …” (more)

[Joanne Hunt, Irish Times, 18 August]

“Queen’s University Belfast is seeking ‘clarity as a matter of urgency’ after changes to A-level grades. The university warned it may need between 500 to 1,000 extra places to admit all affected students, at a cost of about £4,000 per student. Ulster University said it still had places available …” (more)

[Robbie Meredith, BBC News, 18 August]

“The Government is coming under pressure to change its calculated grading system for Leaving Cert students after similar ‘standardisation’ measures in the United Kingdom were scrapped amid controversy on Monday. Opposition parties last night called for a review of the Government’s plan after the British government made a U-turn on A-level results, abandoning its standardisation process …” (more)

[Jack Power, Pat Leahy, Jack Horgan-Jones and Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 18 August]

“Today, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris, announced a €4.3 million investment in the Irish Research Council’s Enterprise Partnership Scheme, providing funding for fifty enterprise-focused research awards …” (more)

[Rebecca Deasy-Millar, Trinity News, 17 August]

“A large south Dublin student accommodation complex has been shut down, and its residents relocated, following the detection of fire safety problems with the building. It is understood the 210-bed Montrose student residence opposite UCD, formerly the Montrose Hotel, is likely to be closed for the full academic year because of the extent of the remedial works required …” (more)

[Olivia Kelly, Irish Times, 18 August]

“While the models of calculated grades used across the UK are different, the core principles are the same as Irish system. What just happened in the UK with calculated grades? Tens of thousands of A-level students in England, Northern Ireland and Wales are set to see their ‘calculated grades’ increased …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 18 August]

“Students at NUI Galway have reported differing rules for returning to campus this semester – depending on their courses. One student told Galway Bay fm news that while NUI Galway has not informed them how the upcoming semester will operate as of yet – individual lecturers have been emailing their students …” (more)

[Galway Bay FM, 17 August]

“The decision not to tell Leaving Cert students their teachers’ predicted grades is a legal challenge waiting to happen, according to a guidance counsellor. The issue of estimating results has now become a major controversy in the UK …” (more)

[James Cox, BreakingNews.ie, 17 August]

“A programme for the construction of six higher education buildings has progressed and will go out to tender ‘immediately’, the Department of Higher Education has said. Under Project Ireland 2040, the Government has pledged to deliver 11 higher education buildings across the country, which will facilitate an additional 8,000 student places upon completion …” (more)

[Shauna Bowers, Irish Times, 18 August]

“Queen’s University has asked how extra student places will be funded if substantial numbers are given improved A-level grades after a major U-turn by Education Minister Peter Weir. In a statement, the university stressed that it had ‘genuine capacity restrictions’ in terms of teaching space, staff and accommodation in light of Covid-19. It called for ‘clarity as a matter of urgency’ from Stormont …” (more)

[Suzanne Breen, Belfast Telegraph, 17 August]