Mr. David Russell:

I thank the members of the Joint Committee on Education and Skills for the invitation to attend.

As a long-standing stakeholder in the EFL sector in Ireland and chairman of the Progressive College Network, PCN, I stand for the sector as a whole in Ireland and want what is best for both students and staff. The international education mark, IEM, must entail the implementation of rules and regulations that are objective and impartial. The Irish EFL sector expects the Bill to be fair and provide clear and transparent information on the IEM.

In the EFL sector in Ireland protection of enrolled learners is an integral part of quality assurance in 2019. Protecting students must be mandatory. Currently, in Ireland only those offering learner protection insurance can be said to comprehensively protect students. The exchange of letters option should be scrapped forthwith; it should never have been accepted in the first place. The sector has two major insurance providers that are offering learner protection, LP, insurance, with more set to follow. The proposed LP fund is essentially a veiled tax on the industry. Questionably and remarkably, it makes the taxpayer directly liable. The protection and welfare of students and staff are at the core of everything the PCN does. To that end, we negotiated with our insurer to secure an upgrade to our existing LP insurance which not only indemnifies students but also protects all teachers within PCN institutions. This means that in the case of school closures, not only would students be assured completion of their tuition but teachers would also be looked after. This is the first time in the private sector that staff have been indemnified in this manner. The Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) (Amendment) Bill, legislation to follow, QQI and the Minister should not ask us to reduce the level of protection we offer to students and staff. Forcing PCN members to contribute to the proposed fund would do just that, as it would remove protection for teachers and reduce the protection offered to students.

From its inception, the PCN has been and will continue to endeavour to be a stabilising and driving force in improving working conditions within the EFL sector in Ireland. Job security and a pleasant working environment are key aspects of all PCN institutions. We have engaged fully with Mr. Patrick King who was appointed by the Minister of State with responsibility for higher education to look at improving employment conditions for teachers. We await publication of his findings but remain resolute in our endeavour to continually improve. I request to be included in any process or procedure that may follow from his findings.

The focus has to be on allowing Irish businesses to flourish and thrive. The ELT sector in Ireland is in a great position to reap the rewards of offering top quality English language tuition in our beautiful country. Ireland is in a prime location on the edge of Europe and, unlike our closest neighbours, within the European Union. It is time to bring the ELT sector in Ireland to the next level.