Ninth Level Ireland

“Some 14,000 higher-education places without fees or with reduced fees will be made available to help support workers affected by coronavirus restrictions, RTÉ News has reported. Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris is due to announce €30 million in funding to support part-time or postgraduate college places …” (more)

[Emer Moreau, University Times, 27 October]

“Stronger governance and accountability measures for third-level institutions will be contained in new legislation to be published next year, Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris has said. Speaking at a conference organised by the Irish Universities Association (IUA), he said the agility and flexibility of colleges were key strengths, and this required an appropriate level of autonomy …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 23 October]

“Higher Education Minister Simon Harris says he wants to give universities more freedom over their affairs but that it must go hand in hand with greater accountability. It was one of the themes in his first major policy speech since taking on the role of leading the first full government department with responsibility for higher education …” (more)

[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 23 October]

“Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to plans to close the business school at the GMIT Mayo campus; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 21 October]

“Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No 236 of 14 October 2020, if Dublin Technical University currently holds no debt; if he plans to create a borrowing framework for the technological universities to allow them to borrow in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 21 October]

“Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the engagements he has had with Science Foundation Ireland in relation to its participation in the Department of Foreign Affair’s Ireland House strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 21 October]

“Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his objectives and plans to grant technological university status further to an application by Athlone Institute of Technology and Limerick Institute of Technology; his views on the application which will incorporate the satellite campuses of Thurles and Clonmel, County Tipperary; the budget available to implement plans for this project; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil debates, 20 October]

“Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the mechanisms he has explored to ensure students in both on-campus and off-campus accommodation will receive full refunds for unused accommodation; the institutes of higher education and accommodation providers that have agreed to give refunds; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more, and even more)

[Dáil debates, 20 October]

“Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the engagement he has had with the HEA in relation to a GMIT decision to redeploy the GMIT Mayo campus business department to Galway with staff now reporting to Galway management; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 20 October]

“Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason no specific plan was put in place to address the disadvantage faced by the 8,000 students who sat the leaving certificate prior to 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 20 October]

“Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the degree to which bullying has been identified in academia; the actions taken in response; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 20 October]

“Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to build or expand a higher education institute on the north side of Cork city …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 20 October]

“Five of the State’s seven universities have confirmed they will refund students who leave their third-level accommodation, Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris has said …” (more)

[Marie O’Halloran, Irish Times, 21 October]

“The government has decided that as of midnight on Wednesday night 21 October all of Ireland will be placed on Level 5 of the Plan for Living with COVID-19. Level 5 of the Plan is available here …” (more)

[gov.ie, 20 October]

“Last week the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Simon Harris TD, announced funding of €34.33m to higher education institutions to help them in their progression towards Technological University status. The fund is being allocated under the 2020 Higher Education Authority (HEA) call to assist the development and progression of technological universities …” (more)

[Waterford News and Star, 13 October]

“Students and staff living in on-campus accommodation around the country are to be permitted to remain in their current housing but with no visitors allowed under guidelines for higher education following the announcement of new Level 5 restrictions last night …” (more)

[Kate Henshaw, Trinity News, 20 October]

“There is ‘overwhelming’ evidence that schools remain safe settings and they will continue to operate during the Level 5 restrictions, Minister for Education Norma Foley has said. In a statement, she said the move to increase public health restrictions will support schools to continue to operate safely and sustainably during the pandemic …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 20 October]

“In an expected move tonight, the government has decided to implement Level 5 restrictions on the country for six weeks, starting Wednesday night. Implications for the higher education sector were not mentioned by the Taoiseach during his address to the country this evening announcing Cabinet’s decision on the imposition of heightened Covid-19 restrictions …” (more)

[Audrey Brown, Trinity News, 19 October]

“The creation of a dedicated Department for Higher Education earlier this year was met with much fanfare by those in the sector who had been advocating for such a move for years. The existence of the dedicated department has already proven useful, with the Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris already providing increased third-level spaces to deal with the inflated leaving certificate grades and promising to prioritise hot-topic issues such as on-campus sexual assault …” (more)

[University Times, 18 October]

“Fergus O’Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if additional supports will be made available to college students who have paid full college fees but are advised to remain home under Covid-19 guidelines; if supports will be made available for students who have paid accommodation fees up front; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 15 October]