Seán Conlan (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister and his officials to the meeting. I come from County Monaghan. A true university of Ulster would have to encompass the whole nine counties of Ulster, not just the six in Northern Ireland.

None of the other three counties has a university. Traditionally in Monaghan prospective students would have been very aware of what courses were available in both Queen's University and the University of Ulster at Coleraine. What can be done to facilitate both of those universities in having a better outreach programme which will ensure young people in the three counties are fully aware of what is available and are encouraged to consider what are, in effect, their local universities?

The Chairman observed that most of the flow is from the Border counties into the Republic. There are slight cultural differences which have developed over the years in this regard. From the perspective of people in the South, some might feel wary of going to college in the North, for example, or they might wish to remain in the eurozone. Simple issues like securing accommodation can also be an issue, or the desire to remain in an education system with which one feels comfortable. I am sure it is exactly the same for young people in Northern Ireland when they think about pursuing their third level education in the South. Steps must be taken to increase the linkages between the two jurisdictions, perhaps by way of outreach programmes at local third level campuses in Cavan, Monaghan and Donegal, to ensure the full scope of courses is available to students. Unfortunately, counties Cavan and Monaghan have some of the lowest rates of third level attainment in the country, which is an issue that must be addressed. Many young people in the Border area identify with the North more so than with Dublin, but there is no correlation or linkage there. Anything that can be done to encourage third level participation and enhance the opportunity for educational attainment must be explored. It might not be the central focus of the work being done in this regard in Northern Ireland, but there is certainly potential in those three Ulster counties to increase the intake for the two Northern universities. It is an issue that deserves to be explored in depth.