Children ‘face same dilapidated conditions at third level’

CHILDREN in run-down schools will face the same problem in college unless Government investment at third level is dramatically improved, the head of the institutes of technology sector said yesterday.

Institutes of technology were dealt a heavy blow when the Government slashed their building and capital budget by one-third to €83 million in last November’s Estimates.

Dr Mary Meaney, chairperson of the Council of Directors of Institutes of Technology, said this could have devastating effects.

“The investment in education over the last two decades has reaped many benefits and we can see that from the boost to the economy and the Celtic Tiger,” she said.

However, there is major concern that if the same investment is not continued, at primary, second level and through to third level education major opportunities will be lost to the economy, she said.

“Otherwise, the children who are in dilapidated primary schools today will be facing the same conditions when they reach third level in 10 or 15 years’ time,” Dr Meaney said.

The majority of the 14 institutes, including Dublin Institute of Technology which is not affiliated to the Council of Directors, are in accommodation built in the early 1970s when they first opened as regional technical colleges.

Public attention has most recently been focused on the funding crisis at primary and second level.

Funding for building projects in these sectors was cut by 4% and 10% to €148 million and €166m respectively this year.

These figures are worse in real terms when inflation is taken into account, particularly the rising cost of construction and refurbishing schools.

However, the third level institutions face the biggest cutback in building programmes, with the universities’ capital budget slashed by 24%.

Laws governing the sector restrict institutes of technology from fundraising for building projects to the same degree as universities.

Universities receive private funding from corporations and private donors, but the ITs do not have the same facility.

Under legislation to be introduced later this year the council of directors wants institutes of technology to be granted the power to receive funding in a similar way.

They say this could be done when laws are drafted to transfer their funding to the Higher Education Authority.

This move will bring the institutes, which are currently funded directly by the Department of Education, under the same funding regime as the country’s seven universities.