Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 21 May 2025

Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science

Business of Joint Committee

2:00 am

Photo of Maeve O'ConnellMaeve O'Connell (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I congratulate the Cathaoirleach. I look forward to working with her. I will introduce myself briefly because I am a first-time TD. I am Fine Gael spokesperson for higher education. One of the reasons I have that role is that my background is in higher education. Until I was elected, I was a lecturer in Technological University Dublin, TUD. I taught across three different campuses during the years I was there so I have encountered first hand many of the challenges and am fully aware of them. I welcome the comments by the Cathaoirleach and other contributors on the issue of accommodation. It is certainly one of the key challenges. One of the impacts I used to see was the division between people based in the city and could stay for the weekend, and those who were up from the country and had to travel home every weekend. There was a division on campuses between those two cohorts, which is not very healthy for a class or society or the campus. That is one of the things that will be interesting to discuss. It was also exhausting for students who had to engage in it and that potentially has an impact on their final outcomes, which we do not want to see.

The other cohort I would like us to look at is the junior staff who are doing a similar thing. They are travelling up from the country to stay for a few days during the week and then travelling back down. They are on poor, low, entry-level salaries for their skills. Many people are on hourly pay and yet these are the very cohort we expect to teach, encourage and retain in order to expand higher and further education. We need to recognise that we need to focus on them more. The Minister has made a commitment at second level to a continuity of contracts, if people have a one-year contract. We need to discuss that type of thing at further and higher education levels as well.

The other area I would like us to look at is the leaving certificate. There is a role for further and higher education institutions to look beyond the leaving certificate, at a more aptitude-based assessment process. Some courses already include that. I would like to see it expanded. My classes were full of very accomplished kids but they were in the wrong classes or programmes and that resulted in drop-outs. The most disappointing thing for me was the hit to their confidence. They were very smart but they were just doing the wrong programme and it did not suit them. People can lose a few years through that, so there is a role for third level in that regard which I would like to discuss.

I welcome all the comments about supporting apprenticeships and other alternative higher and further education pathways after the leaving certificate. I saw plenty of other options for my students. I would love to see us making those options more accessible to them.