Ninth Level Ireland

“Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh TD and the Minister of State for Higher Education Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD today announced almost €100 million is to be invested by the Government in major building projects at five higher education institutions …” (more)

[Department of Education and Skills, 30 August]

“The State has approved €100m for five large higher education building projects. The funding is part of ongoing investment in the sector through Project Ireland 2040 and a fund known as the Higher Education Strategic Infrastructure Fund (HESIF) …” (more)

[Emma O Kelly, RTÉ News, 30 August]

“A teachers’ union is to ballot members next month to renew its mandate for industrial action as tensions rise over controversial two-tier pay scales. The Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) has announced it will ballot its 18,000 members for a mandate for industrial action, up to and including strike action, as part of its campaign to end pay discrimination …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 28 August]

“August means so many different things to so many people. For those of a literary bent, one can point to the delicious long-ago novel by Edna O’Brien, August is a Wicked Month. Of course, to many it is the month of holidays, particularly schoolchildren who this week are facing the familiar feeling of going back to school after weeks of freedom …” (more)

[Independent, 25 August]

“The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) have called on the government to break the barriers to third level education. In a statement, the USI criticised government ministers Joe McHugh and Mary Mitchell O’Connor for downplaying the accommodation and higher education funding crises …” (more)

[Tadgh McNally, The College View, 20 August]

“This week, Ireland’s education ministers found their way into the glare of the national headlines with an intensity not often seen in recent years. For a sector whose struggles have long been confined to the background of public debate, it was refreshing to see story after story on higher education making it to the front pages of Ireland’s newspapers …” (more)

[University Times, 18 August]

“Two Government ministers are under fire for ‘alarming’ comments on the cost of living for students. Craig McHugh, Union of Students in Ireland vice president for the Dublin region, said young people face huge obstacles to university due to rising rents and stagnated student grants …” (more)

[Laura Lynott, Independent, 17 August]

“Sir, – The recent comments by Minister for Education Joe McHugh, stating that students who can’t afford to go to university should consider regional options (Home News, August 14th) are elitist and imply that studying in university is only for the wealthy …” (more)

[Laura Harmon, Irish Times, 17 August]

“The Government has been heavily criticised for suggesting students should use their Susi grant to cover the cost of accommodation, or go to regional colleges. Fianna Fáil accused Fine Gael of having a ‘let them eat cake’ attitude to higher education costs facing families, as Leaving Cert students receive their first round CAO offers today …” (more)

[Hugh O’Connell, Independent, 15 August]

“The SUSI grant was never intended to cover the full cost of college, the Minister of State with Special Responsibility for Higher Education has said. Speaking on RTÉ’s Drivetime, Mary Mitchell O’Connor also ruled out a proposal by the incoming President of the National Parents Council Post Primary that the Government could act as co-guarantor for loans that parents have to take out to cover the cost of their children’s third-level education …” (more)

[RTÉ News, 14 August]

“Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Education, Thomas Byrne, has said the Minister for Education must not be allowed to wait for the next Government to tackle the tumbling ratings of Ireland’s Universities. Deputy Byrne was speaking following comments made by Minister McHugh where he stated that the Government will not act to address the crisis in higher education in this Dáil …” (more)

[Fianna Fáil, 14 August]

“Minister for Higher Education Mary Mitchell O’Connor has advised students to use their grant from the SUSI grant to pay for accommodation increases, amid a funding crisis the government says it can’t tackle until after a general election …” (more)

[Orla Murnaghan, University Times, 14 August]

“Sinn Féin TD for Dublin Fingal Louise O’Reilly has criticised the Fine Gael led government labelling it ‘arrogant and out of touch’, as two Ministers offer tea and sympathy to students and families facing rising third level costs. Deputy O’Reilly said: …” (more)

[Sinn Féin, 14 August]

“The Leaving Cert must be made more relevant for the 21st century, according to employers. As up to 59,000 students from the class of 2019 received their results, the employers’ group Ibec said reform of senior cycle and careers guidance was necessary to better prepare students for the future world of work …” (more)

[Katherine Donnelly and Evie Kearney, Independent, 14 August]

“Plans to tackle the funding crisis in Ireland’s third-level institutions are being scrapped until after the next election as the Government insists the sector already receives significant amounts of taxpayers’ money. Despite universities warning that nearly €140m in extra funding is needed to cater for rising student numbers, the Government signalled yesterday it would not move on the three-year-old Cassells report, which lays out options for the future funding of the sector …” (more)

[Hugh O’Connell, Independent, 14 August]

“Families who cannot afford to send their children to university should consider more affordable options in regional colleges, Minister for Education Joe McHugh has said. He was speaking after more than 58,000 students received their Leaving Cert results on Tuesday morning …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 14 August]

“The education minister has denied he is electioneering over promises to freeze student fees. Joe McHugh has previously promised there will be no increase to the €3,000 student registration fee, and he says he does not see any price hike if Fine Gael remain in government – a statement that has been criticised as ‘electioneering’ as the nation prepares for an upcoming general election in 2019 or 2020 …” (more)

[Aoife Moore, Belfast Telegraph, 13 August]

“Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh has denied that the change in awarded Leaving Certificate points has undermined the system. A record number sat higher level papers this year with students likely attracted by changes in the grading system in 2017 allowing candidates who achieve between 30-39% at higher level to earn CAO points …” (more)

[Evie Kearney, Independent, 13 August]

“Minister for Education Joe McHugh has defended the government’s delay in implementing the Cassells report saying that it is ‘very difficult to get business through parliament because of the weakness of this government’. ‘I think it will take a new composition government to bring a big fundamental change around this’, he told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland …” (more)

[Breakingnews.ie, 13 August]

“Provost Patrick Prendergast has warned that higher education could become a ‘crisis issue’ if the government fails to invest in the sector soon, arguing that loans schemes ‘should be investigated further’ as universities battle intractable financial problems …” (more)

[Donal MacNamee, University Times, 12 August]