Ninth Level Ireland

“Offering student nurses contracts as paid healthcare assistants in hospitals would have more disadvantages than advantages, a report to be given by the Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly to Cabinet this morning has found. The report said such a move, which has been called for by nursing representative organisations, would ‘undermine the graduate training model’ for nurses and ‘may have a displacement effect on healthcare assistants’ …” (more)

[Martin Wall, Irish Times, 19 January]

“Ministers are set to discuss issues around pay for student nurses at Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, with nursing unions reiterating calls for fair remuneration. In November, a review commissioned by the Department of Health and carried out by Prof Tom Collins recommended that the pandemic placement grant, a payment of €100 per week after tax, should be paid when student nurses are on hospital placements from January 2021 until the end of the pandemic …” (more)

[BreakingNews.ie, 19 January]

“A former Trinity lecturer – Dr Victoria Coffey – facilitated and took part in unethical vaccine trials in mother and baby homes during the 1960s. Mother and baby homes were institutions set up in housing women pregnant outside of marriage – something deemed shameful in Ireland, particularly by the Catholic Church, during the 20th century …” (more)

[Emer Moreau and Cormac Watson, University Times, 18 January]

“One hundred-and-forty students will jet into Limerick from Africa tomorrow, to study at the University of Limerick, and will have to isolate on UL’s campus for 14 days as part of international covid-19 travel protocols. The Algerian government is funding the PhD students to study at UL under a deal estimated to be worth over €10 million to the university …” (more)

[David Raleigh, BreakingNews.ie, 18 January]

“Almost 17,000 laptops have been delivered to third-level students throughout Ireland as part of a publicly-funded scheme to facilitate online learning during the pandemic. The 16,700 Dell laptops were funded under a €168 million scheme announced by Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris, for third level institutions and students …” (more)

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

“This morning, College announced through an email to students that new arrangements regarding the Library were to come into effect from January 22, following the recent surge in Covid-19 cases across the country. As exams finish on January 22, College will instigate new arrangements for student access to the Library. The focus on these arrangements will be to balance the ‘provision for Library users’ with the health and safety of Library staff and students …” (more)

[Jamie Cox, Trinity News, 18 January]

“Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris confirmed this week that the thousands of extra college places that were introduced last year to cope with the demand during the pandemic will remain in place. He also plans to introduce 2,000 more places next year. However, while increasing access to higher education should be commended and encouraged, the circumstances of this particular announcement are more complicated than they seem …” (more)

[University Times, 17 January]

“Decisions need to be made on the future of the Leaving Cert by the end of this month, the Minister for Higher Education has said. Speaking in Dublin on Monday afternoon, Simon Harris said clarity was needed for all involved …” (more)

[Danuel McConnell, Irish Examiner, 18 January]

“Medical researchers from University College Dublin (UCD) conducted unethical vaccine trials on children in Ireland’s mother-and-baby homes, according to the findings of a government investigation. Seven vaccine trials took place in the mother-and-baby homes from 1934-73, according to the Commission’s report. Researchers from UCD conducted five vaccine trials on children in mother-and-baby homes from 1960-73, all of which breached medical standards at the time …” (more)

[Conor Capplis, College Tribune, 18 January]

“Irish colleges can get an unexpected boost this year, thanks to Brexit. Ireland South MEP Sean Kelly says over 100,000 EU students came to Britain last year to study under the Erasmus programme …” (more)

[Radio Kerry, 18 January]

“Provost Patrick Prendergast yesterday hinted that the Provost elections would be an all-female race, after he retweeted an article in the Irish Independent saying that College will see ‘a woman in the top job’. The process of interviewing and nominating candidates for the position of Provost is highly confidential and it is still unclear who will be running for the position …” (more)

[Cormac Watson, University Times, 18 January]

“SIPTU representatives have today (Sunday, 17th January) said the lack of consultation surrounding the decision by health minister, Stephen Donnelly, to suspend student placements will only deepen the serious crisis in the health service …” (more)

[SIPTU, 17 January]

“Leaving Cert students will be able to choose between CAO and further education options at the same time from next year under plans to tackle ‘academic snobbery’ over alternatives to third level. Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris said there is a growing number of high quality options for school leavers in the further education and apprenticeships sectors …” (more)

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

“A whole new cohort of musicians are to benefit from a €2m gift donated to University College Cork’s music department – the largest donation in 113 years. The huge sum was donated by the late Sydney V Regan, a British master builder who came to Cork in the 1960s with his wife Hilda …” (more)

[Pádraig Hoare, Irish Examiner, 18 January]

“Rector Magnificus of the University of Amsterdam, Professor Karen Maex, has called on European Commissioners to propose a ‘Digital University Act’ to secure universities’ status as independent education and research institutions and vital building blocks for the organisation of knowledge and to defend them against pressures from big tech companies …” (more)

[Jan Petter Myklebust, University World News, 16 January]

“Suspending hospital training for student nurses to free up nursing tutors for frontline work ‘is the right thing to do’, given the pressures facing the health system, the Minister for Health has said. Stephen Donnelly said training for first, second and third-year students was being suspended ‘just for a few weeks’ while the health service battles a surge in Covid-19 cases …” (more)

[Marie O’Halloran and Martin Wall, Irish Times, 17 February]

“The funeral of Michael Byrne, ‘Old Man Belfield’, will take place on Wednesday 20th of January at 11am. The service will be private as a result of the ongoing Covid-19 lockdown but a live stream will be hosted by UCD online …” (more)

[Hugh Dooley, College Tribune, 17 January]

“There is nothing like a good crisis to excite ideas about different futures and new beginnings. At the very least, right now we are told that there will be a ‘new normal’ and no return to the way things were before COVID-19. However, even before the pandemic, there were plenty of futurologists – especially in English-speaking nations – declaring a series of cataclysmic scenarios for higher education …” (more)

[William Locke, University World News, 16 January]

“Once a Viking stronghold, the area encompassing Dublin 7 and Dublin 1, in the northwest inner city of the Irish capital, has pockets of gentrification and even a growing collection of hipster food joints in Stoneybatter. But much of this historically working-class part of the city suffers from high levels of homelessness and poverty …” (more)

[Brendan O’Malley, University World News, 16 January]

“More than 2,000 student nurses and midwives are to be removed from their training placements in public hospitals on a temporary basis by the Department of Health due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on staffing levels …” (more)

[BreakingNews.ie, 16 January]