Four seats on HEA board are to be left vacant

Four seats are to be left vacant by Education Minister Richard Bruton on the board of the body responsible for the spending of €1.2bn a year by third-level colleges.

The minister has reappointed two non-academic members to the board of the Higher Education Authority (HEA), nearly five months after their terms ended. He is also seeking academics with expertise in economics, data analytics, or e-learning to apply for two positions left vacant since late January.

However, this will bring the board’s membership to 15, four short of the 19 it is permitted to have under the 1971 Higher Education Authority Act. A Department of Education spokeswoman said it is not proposed to appoint any further members to the board at this time.