Third level colleges ‘will have to compete for cash’
In the first detailed government response to an OECD review of Irish third level education, she outlined agreement to a number of key elements of their report published last autumn. But the minister again ruled out the return of tuition fees for undergraduate students.
One of her key announcements was the Government’s agreement to set up a Strategic Innovation Fund to promote and support reform in universities and institutes of technology.
“It is intended that the fund will be competitively awarded on the basis of an independent external evaluation of the quality of proposals,” said Ms Hanafin.
The areas in which she said colleges can raise performance include reorganising faculties and departments, introduction of new internal management and resource allocation processes, and streamlined administration.
The minister said new legislation will be introduced to reform governing bodies of colleges and to set up a new strategic body to succeed the Higher Education Authority (HEA). This will mean the handover of day-to-day responsibility for ITs from her department, putting all third level institutions under the aegis of a single body by October.
However, Ms Hanafin supported the OECD recommendation that the diversity between the university and IT sectors be maintained.
There was no reference, however, to the OECD proposal that the awarding of doctoral research qualifications be restricted to universities, which was strongly rejected by the IT sector.
The Conference of Heads of Irish Universities said Ms Hanafin’s policy statement provides a positive basis for developing concerted strategic plans but that increased investment is needed to deliver a quality world-class Irish university system.
