Ninth Level Ireland

“A programme to support prisoners to go to university, and ‘bring third-level education to those furthest away from it’ will be unveiled on Monday by Minister for Justice Helen McEntee and her colleague, Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris. The Mountjoy and Maynooth University (MJMU) project aims to become a template across the prison service to ‘disrupt the inevitability’ of a life in and out of the prison system for many offenders …” (more)

[Kitty Holland, Irish Times, 19 April]

“The Higher Education Authority (HEA) and Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS) are preparing the next National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education (‘National Access Plan’). The current National Access Plan was published in December 2015. A Progress Review published in December 2018 extended the plan until December 2021 …” (more)

[Maura O’Shea, HEA, 16 April]

“Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which he hopes to encourage participation in third and fourth-level education throughout the country regardless of socioeconomic background; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 11 March]

“Student loans are unlikely to be used to bridge a chronic underfunding in the country’s third-level sector, Higher Education Minister Simon Harris has said. Speaking at the launch of a three-year plan for his department, Mr Harris said he was committed to delivering a sustainable model to allow universities and colleges be funded adequately, especially when more and more people want to attend …” (more)

[Daniel McConnell, Irish Examiner, 8 March]

“Recognising the difficulty applicants and school staff are facing due to extended periods of secondary school closure, temporary changes have been made to the 2021 DARE process to help students to make their applications. To ensure supporting documentation reaches CAO in time for the March 15th deadline, schools will now be able to electronically sign off students’ supporting documentation …” (more)

[IUA, 27 January]

“Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to delays in some schools in completing school-based attainment testing due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which have led to a concern among parents that testing will not take place in time to apply for the disability access route to education, DARE, programme; and if he will extend the DARE deadline from 1 March 2021 to prevent the exclusion of candidates who might otherwise qualify …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 21 January]

“Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD has today announced his decision to continue supports for under-represented groups seeking to access higher education. This decision will see additional funding of €7.5m over the next three year period to support access …” (more)

[gov.ie, 23 December]

“Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the measures and supports that have been put in place for third-level students with dyslexia and other conditions that secured them supports at second level; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 15 December]

“Prisoners at Mountjoy Prison have been granted online access to college lectures and tutorials during the coronavirus pandemic and this could be instrumental in establishing third-level education in Irish prisons in the longer term, a review of a new project involving the Dublin jail and Maynooth University has concluded …” (more)

[Conor Lally, Irish Times, 29 October]

“Starting college in 2020 will be an experience like none that has gone before it. The moves to more online learning, the lack of opportunities to socialise and social distancing measures will mean that students and staff have to adapt to a whole new and challenging environment …” (more)

[Laura Harmon, University Times, 7 October]

“Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if further consideration has been given to or the status of a financial package for the third-level institutions; and if so, if it will include increased SUSI, HEAR, DARE and Access funding to ensure expansion of access to third-level education …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 14 July]

“Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the steps she will take to improve access to higher education for members of the Traveller community …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 14 July]

“On the 4th of July, the Irish Government published their National Action Plan (NAP) for Increasing Traveller Participation in Higher Education. The plan was originally launched last November by TD Mary Mitchell O’Connor in TU Dublin, on World Access to Higher Education Day …” (more)

[Ann Jaffray, College Tribune, 9 July]

“Almost four months after the general election, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party have drawn up a programme for government, which will now be put to their members for a vote …” (more)

[Aoife Kearins and Emer Moreau, University Times, 15 June]

“DCU has said it has seen a 183% increase in students looking for help from its Student Assistance Fund since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. The Dublin university has today launched the Covid-19 Student Emergency Fund in response to the challenges and financial hardship facing students due to the Covid-19 global pandemic …” (more)

[Irish Examiner, 20 May]

“When you grow up as a working-class kid, you learn somehow that poverty is somehow your fault, or the fault of your family. You never have enough money because you don’t budget properly, not because our welfare payments don’t meet a minimum essential standard of living …” (more)

[Gary Gannon, University Times, 13 May]

“Minister welcomes continuation of funding for students as well as increased access to laptops and desktops. Minister of State for Higher Education Mary Mitchell O’Connor has highlighted the range of supports available to students in higher education, particularly from groups traditionally under-represented in higher level education, during Covid-19 …” (more)

[Department of Education and Skills, 27 April]

“Sir, – Higher education funding is 40% less now than it was a decade ago. If we are to maintain quality and equity of access for students, we need to ensure that the sector is funded properly. Colleges have been valiantly trying to uphold standards while they are being starved of funding …” (more)

[Laura Harmon, Irish Times, 7 March]

“When Trinity PhD student Patrick McDonagh, a member of the Travelling community, called this week for the creation of a seat for Travellers in the Seanad, he made an important point. McDonagh argued that implementing a route to political representation for Travellers would ‘mark the beginning of what would still be a long journey to giving Travellers a role in the State, in proportion to our place and population within it’ …” (more)

[University Times, 14 July]

“‘We don’t need easy, because nothing is going to really be easy for us, we just need possible’ said Niamh Donnelly, student ambassador of the Maynooth University Access Programme. The third year law student was quoting from her favourite film Soul Surfer …” (more)

[Sarah Mooney, Irish Times, 11 July]