Strategy to increase number of foreign students failing as numbers decline

Efforts to bring more international students to colleges here are failing despite major Government strategies.

The Higher Education Authority (HEA) has raised concerns about the fact the number of full-time students in publicly funded colleges fell by 12% from just over 12,000 in 2009, to less than 10,600 last year.

Education Minister Ruairi Quinn last week announced a review of an international education strategy launched by the previous government three years ago.