Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Both Professor FitzGerald and Professor Morgenroth referred to the fact that students who leave the likes of Cavan, Monaghan and other rural counties and go to college in Dublin, Cork, Galway or wherever do not, by and large, return to the areas where they came from. Could there be merit in more third level courses being delivered locally through the colleges of further education? Sadly, many students have not had campus experience due to Covid, but classes have gone on and lectures have taken place. That is not the ideal way for a person to go through third level education. There is a strong value in being on campus and meeting other students. College life is not all about classes. Could more be done, through further education colleges and other means, to provide that people would not have to move to Dublin, Galway or wherever if they did not want to? Could they source their third level learning and degree courses through a local medium? It might keep talent in the more rural counties.