Mary White (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will reiterate my colleague's comments on the contribution of the institutes of technology. I received a scholarship to attend the college at Bolton Street in 1962. We did not feel as though we were attending a university. The institutes' contribution to the economy down the years has been well recognised. I commend our guests in this regard, including Mr. Costello.

Regarding the issue of languages, the Seanad was privileged to be visited by a Nobel laureate of economics, Professor Christopher Pissarides, who works out of the London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE. I raised a question about the policy decision to make students spend so much time learning Irish when so few leave second level able to speak it. Our young people's contemporaries on the Continent learn English as a second language. They are bilingual. We must address this issue. I am not saying we should not promote Irish, but people cannot speak it even after spending a certain amount of time every day learning it. There is also a deficit in terms of speaking European languages.

What is the perspective of the HEA on the progress towards the target of doubling the annual output of ICT graduates?

I commend Mr. Cummins, president of Dundalk IT, on his role in the Louth Economic Forum, with which I am familiar. The forum has an action plan on the third level sector and supporting economic development in the north east.

With regard to Senator Clune's document, I raised the matter of drop-out rates among ICT students. What can be done about it? Professor Pissarides made a point that struck home in terms of my personal experience: young people should have the privilege of finding out what they are good at and studying it. If they get that chance, they will really try. It is a beautiful sentiment. Although I received a scholarship to Bolton Street, I hated my course, but I put up with it. I was lucky in that I always had a job, but I attended UCD at night to study a subject that I enjoyed more.

What can be done about the high drop-out rate among first year ICT students? Dr. Murphy stated that there was a significant unmet demand from prospective students for additional places and courses. As there is a quick and effective way of obtaining ICT-qualified graduates, where is the blockage in securing the additional places for the unmet demand? I wish Professor Norton the best of luck in his second quarter with the infrastructure at Grangegorman. That campus is a star, as it accounts for 24% of national provision at degree level in ICT, amounting to some 2,000 students. What is his opinion of what can be done about the drop-out rate? Is it that young people are not able for or interested in it? It seems to be a waste. When we examined the Forfás documents some months ago, this struck me as a major issue.