Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)

International league tables need to be interpreted with caution. Their focus on individual institutional performance does not reflect overall system quality. However, I recognise that they are referenced by international investors, employers and students as a marker of quality across systems. As such, they cannot be ignored. It is encouraging that four Irish institutions are in the top 300 QS ranked universities, out of some 15,000 universities worldwide. The reality of the economic situation poses challenges for the higher education sector. Future demand for participation growth needs to be reconciled with limitations on public resources and a need to protect and enhance core quality. The nature of these difficult trade-offs is described in the National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030, which also identifies the need for more detailed analysis. I have asked the Higher Education Authority to undertake further work on the sustainability of the existing funding framework. This work will inform consideration by the Government of policy options in future funding of the sector.

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