Professor Pádraig Ó Duibhir:

I note that Utrecht has a ratio of ten students to one staff member, whereas in the institute of education we have 4,000 students and 140 staff which is about 28:1. The head of Utrecht does not know how we do it. He just wishes us luck.

The reality of that ratio hits home when we sit down to plan new programmes. The newest programme we are planning is a BEd post-primary concurrent degree in Gaeilge and modern languages, which is an area of heavy demand and heavy shortage, as outlined by other speakers. We hope have that on the books for 2019 to respond to the shortage of teachers in these areas in the post-primary system. This innovative degree will see students spend time in European universities and in the Gaeltacht, and will include modules taught in the target languages. It is already generating inquiries from students in fifth year and transition year. It draws on DCU’s reputation for applied linguistics, Irish and education, but our biggest challenge will be funding the staff to teach it, providing classrooms and library spaces for students, and providing the administrative staff needed to support placements in international and Gaeltacht settings. We agree with the Department of Education and Skills that we need to expand our number of concurrent post-primary programmes, but we need to discuss how these programmes will be funded in the future.

In working with the Higher Education Authority and the Department on generating additional places for next year, we have signalled, as have other institutions, where additional places can be made available. There has been a positive response from applicants. These places will not be realised unless additional human and capital resources are provided and action is taken by the Department and the education partners to secure opportunities for school placement for the additional students.