Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 24 May 2022

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills

Future Funding of Higher Education: Discussion (Resumed)

Photo of Aisling DolanAisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Cathaoirleach. I thank the Minister for his time here, and with his team as well.

I note that the goal of that €307 million will be to reduce our lecturer-student ratios and to make sure that the universities can compete at a world-class level. We have such excellent talent but it has to be acknowledged the numbers that are attending third level now are up to 240,000 to 245,000.

I am interested in the mention of the National Training Fund around the employer contributions and acknowledge the work that has been done around SUSI. The Minister stated that he engaged with more than 9,000 people. In my own local area in Galway, the Minister held webinars with people there to find out what was needed. It will be important looking at that postgraduate element, as the Minister mentioned. The reduction of the travel is crucial and also the public transport side of things. Public transport is very important for travel if the students are going longer distances.

The Minister might comment as well on the one-stop-shop now that it has been started up in Maynooth University for the third level students coming from Ukraine.

If I may, on the implementation group for funding and reform, the Minister mentioned the cost of education report that he will do prior to the budget. Are there perhaps one or two areas there that the Minister will be looking at specifically around what that would be? Second, on the implementation group with Professor Tom Collins and Professor Anne Looney, does the Minister envisage that will be an annual report with that group or is it a case that there will be certain targets they will complete each time? I thank the Minister for his time.

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