Deadlock in merger plans for education institutes
Michael Kelly’s report to Education Minister Jan O’Sullivan was brought to the Cabinet last week, months after his work to try and resolve an impasse between the colleges should have been completed.
The Irish Examiner understands he has told the minister the difficulties remain and he has been unable to find a solution. The former chairman of the Higher Education Authority (HEA), and previously Department of Health secretary general, was appointed in November to seek a breakthrough.
The move followed the announcement by Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) it was withdrawing from the process in place to precede a merger with Carlow Institute of Technology.
While WIT figures wanted to push ahead with a lone application to become a technological university (TU), the rules for such designation say only an entity formed by at least two institutes of technology merging can apply.
Mr Kelly was to have reported back to Ms O’Sullivan by March last, having consulted with management and staff in Carlow and Waterford. It is understood the delay in the submission of his report was down to his desire to speak also with community and business groups in the south-east.
“The report is a very frank assessment of the issues there with the process and why it has stalled in the way it did. But it concludes that the project of merging the colleges is still viable,” a source familiar with the content said.“It outlines a number of steps that he suggests should be taken to get the process back on track,” the source said.
However, Ms O’Sullivan has not yet published the report which she had promised to do after presenting it to Government colleagues. It is is unclear if she will use its publication, expected in the next month, to announce she is adopting any of the suggestions made by Mr Kelly to progress the issue.
The rules on the creation of TUs were set by the HEA in 2012, and are clear that an individual institution can not apply on its own. Two or more combined institutions must meet a range of criteria for the mix of students, qualifications of staff and other parameters to be assessed by experts.
In March last, Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) members at WIT voted to take industrial action up to possible strike in opposition to the merger plan, but discussions are continuing with management through grievance procedures.
A decision not to co-operate with merger activities had been taken by TUI members at Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) and Institute of Technology Tralee earlier this year, and conciliation is taking place on the matter.
CIT and Institute of Technology Tralee also decided earlier this year not to speed up their proposed merger, in advance of a planned TU application, and to engage further with staff on issues of concern.
A planned TU in Dublin is the most advanced project, where TUI recently reached agreement on the merger process with Dublin, Blanchardstown and Tallaght institutes of technology.
Ms O’Sullivan did not introduce the bill that would allow for the establishment of technological universities before the Dáil summer break as she had hoped.
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