College conditions cause concern

POST-GRADUATE students at an overcrowded teacher training college are paying up to €5,000 a year to be taught in prefabs.

St Patrick's College in Drumcondra has space for 800 students but currently caters for 2,200.

The numbers have spiralled in the last five years since degree holders were allowed take an 18-month teacher training course to meet the shortage of qualified teachers in primary schools.

However, there has been no capital investment at St Patrick's or the other main teacher training college, Mary Immaculate College in Limerick (MIC) to facilitate the growing numbers.

MIC president Dr Peadar Cremin revealed last week the overcrowded college was paying up to €6,000 a day to lease extra space off campus to teach classes.

Liam MacMathúna, registrar of St Patrick's College, said some off-campus facilities were being leased but there were concerns over the health and safety of students and staff. "There has been no capital investment here since the 1980s.

We are using a theatre for lectures but students have no desks to write on," he said.

"This is just not satisfactory and these conditions have to effect the quality of learning. We're quite happy to have more students but we'd like to have proper facilities to teach them in," Mr MacMathúna said.

He said there was a parallel between the college and the underfunded and overcrowded primary schools which graduates were being sent out to work in.

Jonathan Tiernan, president of the students union at St Patrick's College, said it was shameful that post-graduate students were paying so much to be taught in prefabs.

"There were only around 400 students here in 1995, but there are more than five times that many now. There's no space. The Taoiseach's office is only a stone's throw from here but there's no money being spent on us," he said.

The college has a building plan which would cost over €40 million in two phases. But funding has been stalled for all third level capital projects subject to a review of all submissions by the Higher Education Authority, sanctioned by Education Minister Noel Dempsey.

The number of graduates from the colleges of education has grown in the past decade from less than 300 in 1993 to almost 1,500 this year. However, the Irish National Teachers Organisation estimates at least another 1,000 teachers are needed to reduce class sizes.