Ninth Level Ireland

“Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the data provided on foot of a recent freedom of information request (details supplied); the analysis his Department has carried out across third-level institutions which fall under the responsibility of his Department into the fining of students for the late payment of registration fees; if this issue will be examined as part of the ongoing review of Higher Education Authority legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dail written answers, 1 April]

“Five institutes of technology and 10 departments have been recognised for measures to improve gender equality in higher education in the latest round of Athena SWAN awards, announced today (31st March). The institutes of technology in Athlone, Dundalk, Galway-Mayo, Letterkenny and Sligo each receive a Bronze award, which recognises that the institutions have identified their key gender equality challenges and opportunities and have action plans to drive progress …” (more)

[Maura O’Shea, HEA, 30 March]

“Between 60% and 80% of students in some third-level computing and engineering courses are dropping out, new data shows. Young men with low Leaving Cert points are at a particularly high risk of failing to complete their college courses. The findings are contained in a study by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) which tracked the progress of thousands of students who started third-level courses over a 10-year period …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 29 March]

“Are we sending too many school leavers to higher education who would fare better in hands-on options such as further education or apprenticeships? It’s a question begged by the findings of a major study by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) into the volume of students who are failing to complete third-level courses …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 29 March]

“An application for the Technological University of the South East (TUSE) is set to be formally lodged on April 28th. The proposed merger of Waterford Institute of Technology and IT Carlow is set to have a significant campus in Wexford, according to Senator Malcolm Byrne. The project has been interrupted by COVID-19 as well as significant political tensions in recent weeks regarding the location of its headquarters …” (more)

[Jordan Norris, Munster Express, 16 March]

“Speaking today, Minister Harris said: ‘The preparation of the report was funded by my Department. In August 2020, I wrote to the Presidents of all publicly funded higher education institutions requesting that they develop and publish specific institutional action plans on tackling sexual violence and harassment …'” (more)

[MerrionStreet.ie, 15 March]

“The south east of the country is increasingly likely to have its long-awaited university next January. An application for the Technological University of the South East (TUSE) will be lodged on April 28, many years after it was first mooted. The proposed university, based on a merger of Waterford Institute of Technology IT and IT Carlow, will have campuses in Waterford, Carlow and Wexford …” (more)

[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 10 March]

“Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD has today marked International Women’s Day by launching the National Gender Equality Dashboard for Higher Education Institutions. The dashboard, developed by Maynooth University, provides an invaluable resource on gender equality in Higher Education Institutions …” (more)

[gov.ie, 8 March]

“Trinity College Dublin has expressed alarm over Government plans to reform university governance which it says could threaten its autonomy and independence. The university said it wants to be excluded from planned legislation that would give regulators ‘dawn raid’ powers to conduct audits and abolish its long-standing systems for resolving internal disputes which date back hundreds of years …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 8 March]

“The mid-term review report of the independent assessor in respect of the Mayo GMIT Campus in Castlebar is on schedule to be presented to the finance and governance section of the Higher Education Authority (HEA) by the end of March …” (more)

[Connaught Telegraph, 7 March]

“Some 59 of Trinity’s Fellows, Fellows emeriti, non-Fellow academic staff and support staff – alongside the Scholars’ Committee – have launched a blistering attack on a proposed reform of governance structures in universities, which would give the Higher Education Authority (HEA) wide-ranging influence over the highest levels of Trinity …” (more)

[Cormac Watson, University Times, 3 March]

“Simon Harris has launched a stakeholder consultation on the reform of the Higher Education Authority (HEA) legislation. A report on this reform has also been published by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science …” (more)

[Rosie Kuntz, College Tribune, 23 February]

“Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris TD has today (19 February, 2021) launched a stakeholder consultation on the reform of the Higher Education Authority legislation. A report to update stakeholders on the recent developments in the reform of the legislation has also been published …” (more)

[MerrionStreet.ie, 19 February]

“A decade after a technological university for the south east was first proposed there is still no detail as to how much money the government are willing to invest in the region …” (more)

[David Looby, Wexford People, 16 February]

“Fergus O’Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the progress made to date on Dundalk Institute of Technology becoming a technological university under the Technological Universities Act 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 10 February]

“A new report, published by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) today, has revealed that the number of students at Irish higher educational institutions has steadily increased and that there is now a higher proportion of female students attending Universities or Associate/Affiliate Colleges than men. The report – The Social and Living Conditions of Higher Education Students in Ireland – is part of the Eurostudent VII Report, which collates comparable data on student life across Europe …” (more)

[Maura O’Shea, HEA, 10 February]

“The Government is set to consider passing a sweeping new Bill which will enable the Minister for Higher Education, Innovation and Research to suspend and replace the governing bodies of state-funded universities if there are serious concerns around their operation. Alongside suspensory powers, imposing financial and non-financial penalties against universities are also part of the proposed bill …” (more)

[Rowan Kelleher, College Tribune, 4 February]

“The government will this year consider passing a bill that would give the Minister for Higher Education the power to suspend and replace the governing body of state-funded universities, if there are very serious concerns about how the institution is operating …” (more)

[Cormac Watson, University Times, 28 January]

“Higher Education Institutions across Ireland are being invited to submit course proposals for the 2021/2022 Springboard+ programme. Springboard+ 2021 will provide an estimated 10,000 places across approximately 250 courses and will be offered to people wishing to reskill/upskill or return to education …” (more)

[Maura O’Shea, HEA, 21 January]

“The case for a university in Waterford is eons old. Waterford was a large rich trading city in the 1840’s and was the natural location for a NUI university, along with Cork and Dublin. Hansard, the official transcript of the UK parliament, indicates the university was moved to Galway as Waterford’s leading political families were associated with Napoleon …” (more)

[Waterford News and Star, 19 January]