College president warns on overcrowding

ONE of the country’s leading teacher-training colleges is intolerably overcrowded, its college president warned yesterday.

President of the Mary Immaculate College of Education in Limerick Dr Peadar Cremin said the college caters for 2,500 students on a campus designed for 750.

“Frankly, we are in an increasingly intolerable situation,” Dr Cremin said while addressing a graduation ceremony.

He has made repeated calls at graduations in recent years for the urgent delivery of new buildings.

“Three Ministers for Education and many promises later, we are making the same case,” Dr Cremin added.

But he said there was recent good news with a recommendation in the Report on Future Capital Needs in the Third Level Sector.

He said they have planning permission for the two projects which have been recommended for immediate delivery in the report.

“Detailed design work is completed,” said Dr Cremlin.

“If the Minister for Education includes the funding for this work in the estimates which are currently being prepared, we would anticipate that works could commence in the spring of 2005.”

He said first on the building list was a €15.8 million physical education teaching hall which the report said should proceed in the period 2004-2006.

“We are delighted that the report recommended a follow-on building project estimated to cost €23.8m which will involve the erection of a 500-seat drama and arts education centre,” said Dr Cremin.

The recent report said this should be funded in the period 2006-2008.