University chiefs’ behaviour a bitter pill for students, staff and taxpayers

UNIVERSITY chiefs have been crying from the rooftops for the past two years about the severe under funding of their colleges and the effects it is having on the quality of the education.

Only this month, a slight slip in world rankings by Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin (even though the QS rankings in question were based on a set of criteria not used before) were cited by TCD provost Dr John Hegarty as evidence of the effects of trying to cater for more students with less money.

These arguments are justifiable and understandable when government policy aims to increase the proportion of school-leavers attaining higher education, something which will require an estimated €500 million in additional funding a year. At the same time, government funding to third level colleges will be down 20% this year compared to 2008, when pay and staffing reductions are factored in, wiping out most of a 31% increase in the six years up to that.