Ms Mary Doyle:

I thank the Chairman for the opportunity to attend. We were asked to come before the committee to brief members on the higher education reform programme embarked upon following the publication of the National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030. That was published in early 2011 and the key components of that strategy were subsequently endorsed in May 2012 by the current Minister, Deputy Ruairí Quinn, on behalf of the Government. The implementation of that reform programme falls to the Department and also to the Higher Education Authority in a key leadership role.

In summary, the strategy outlines the change agenda that will result in a modern, flexible higher education system which is more accessible to a much greater range of people and has a high quality and innovative provision of teaching research as its hallmark. This will require having smaller numbers of large, high quality, well-governed institutions that are funded sustainably, each with a distinct mission to meet a growing diversity of demand and new challenges. That is the key objective of the reform process.

There are a range of recommendations set out in the strategy which I have provided to the members and which I do not propose to go through, but they range from the requirement to ensure diversity and flexibility of provision to meet demands to ensuring the quality and sustainability of the system is assured. As I said, the strategy is being implemented in close collaboration with our colleagues in the Higher Education Authority and in partnership with higher education institutions and many other stakeholders in this complex landscape.

I will talk briefly about three key areas, namely, the overarching implementation arrangements, the main challenges to be addressed, and the key priorities for implementation for 2012 and 2013. Implementation is at the heart of this reform process and to ensure effective oversight of implementation, the Department of Education and Skills has established a high level implementation oversight group chaired by the Secretary General of the Department. Members of the group are from a diverse range of organisations with lead responsibility for implementation of recommendations. We have published the implementation plan on which the work of the group is based which shows the recommendations and the associated responsibility for implementation. We have also published the latest progress report on priority areas and we are glad to make that available to members. That is our key implementation structure.

There are many challenges but among the main ones identified by the strategy is the much higher demand for participation by students - internationally and domestically - adult learners and school leavers in the coming decades. Both the Department and the ESRI have predicted an increase in full-time demand in the region of 16% by 2020, which is a very high number in a short space of time. A second challenge will be the continued constrained financial environment at a time when demand is rising. The third challenge we would articulate is the pressing need to mobilise and prioritise resources while enhancing quality in all areas of activity in the higher education sector. That would include the key pillars of research, teaching and learning, and engagement.

Progress to date has been good, and I will now briefly outline some of the progress that has been made. Regarding the key element of teaching and learning, last week the Minister launched the national forum for the enhancement of teaching and learning in higher education which will provide the national forum for the discussion of issues relating to the enhancement of teaching and learning and provide a key leadership role across all the higher education institutions in this crucial area. To support that work and other work, national student and employer surveys are being developed because it is considered very important to have that feedback built into the development and implementation of policy. A full-scale national pilot on the student survey will run in the first quarter of next year.

A second key area on which significant progress has been made is in terms of advancing the agenda in regard to the key transition from second to third level. That is a major agenda for the Minister and a transition steering group will submit a report on proposals for change, including timeframes for implementation, early in the new year. We have also established an enterprise engagement forum, again chaired by the Secretary General, to formalise the engagement with enterprise given the importance of that agenda for the Department.

In that context, in regard to skills and the labour market, there has been strong collaboration among the Department of Education and Skills, the Higher Education Authority, the expert group on future skills needs and enterprise agencies, among others. That has led to the implementation of a suite of measures to address identified skills deficits. Targeted funding has been made available also to provide high quality, flexible higher education opportunities for the unemployed and those seeking jobs in areas where there are identified skills shortages. Members will be familiar with the Springboard and the ICT skills projects.

The last area I want to deal with is system development, which is at the core of implementation. Last week, the Minister for Education and Skills addressed the higher education sector and outlined four priorities for future landscape development and reconfiguration.

These are: strengthening our university system; the development and consolidation of the IT sector; achieving critical mass through collaboration and consolidation and the formation of regional clusters between universities, stronger institutes of technology and future technological universities; and increased sustainability and capacity in the higher education system, as alluded to by Mr. Boland.

The HEA is developing system-configuration advice for the Minister for spring 2013 and is examining a range of inputs on which to base further engagement with institutions on these issues. We envisage the HEA will engage with institutions in detail in the new year. This process will culminate in the HEA's advice to the Minister in the spring. The reconfiguration of the system is one of the key next steps.

A second key next step concerns legislative change, which is essential to underpin the complex and ambitious programme of reform. Work has commenced on the preparation of a programme of statutory reform. There are a number of objectives, the first of which is to provide for the merging and establishment of consolidated institutes of technology as technological universities. Designation will occur on the meeting of the criteria. The second component is putting in place legislation to strengthen the powers of the HEA to regulate the higher education system.

Institutional governance structures will also be reformed and legislation has been brought forward to increase the accountability of the institutions and ensure they are in line with Government policy on staffing and numbers. This legislative change is a major priority for the Department and HEA.

The third key next step relates to the sustainability of the system. In parallel with the system development process, the HEA, in collaboration with the Department, has engaged in further analysis of institutional and system sustainability issues.

I have given a very broad overview of developments on the higher education reform programme. We are happy to answer the questions of members.