Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)

The establishment of the Qualifications and Quality Assurance Authority of Ireland is a progressive step. It will combine the existing National Qualifications Authority of Ireland, NQAI, the Further Education and Training Awards Council, FETAC, and the Higher Education and Training Awards Council, HETAC, into a single cohesive body. This should ensure that we are competitive in terms of the standard of education for international studies with the development of an international education mark and code of practice for international education.

A strong university system is a vital component for Ireland's future both in terms of universal standards being met and enabling our students to access the best institutional management toolkits, equivalent to those operating in European and American universities. In an economically competitive world it is obvious that in the 21st century countries will only be as strong as their universities and knowledge will determine the well being and success of nations. Success in this knowledge-intensive world is predicated on this being delivered by institutions performing to globally competitive standards.

In Ireland, the education system has been criticised by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD. Ireland has prided itself in the last two decades on its high standards but the latest OECD findings appear to point to the contrary. In 2000, the OECD survey of 15 year olds ranked Ireland in an impressive fifth place in literacy, well above the OECD average. However, the past decade has seen an influx of immigrants into Ireland which means that over 8% of the school going population in 2009 comprised non-nationals. This made a significant difference and, as a result, Ireland has dropped dramatically from fifth place to 17th in literacy levels. This is the most dramatic drop by any OECD country.

The new chief inspector in the Department of Education and Skills, Dr. Harold Hislop, recently published a report on school inspections in primary schools. The results were shocking. Inadequacies in almost 15% of English and mathematics classes were discovered when the inspectors arrived unannounced at the schools. Almost 500 schools were visited in the past year. The key findings of the report are: that one in six students in Ireland have poor reading skills; overall, 17% of students are lower achievers in reading; ironically, girls secondary schools continue to demonstrate higher reading scores; the first generation of migrant children had very low levels of achievement in reading. This report demonstrates that at primary level education we must re-educate and upskill our teachers. Following an intensive investigation of our second and third level educators, emphasis should be focused on raising their standards, particularly in science and mathematics subjects.

Foreign investors and potential foreign investors in the past four or five years have indicated that they are very dissatisfied with the standards and quality of students in mathematics and science subjects on leaving our universities and colleges. The Minister is striving to address this matter and is also making an effort to put a better system in place in our training colleges to address this at primary level as well. I very much welcome his endeavours in this respect.

It is alarming that Irish universities fell in the university rankings for 2010, as Deputy McLellan mentioned. While these institutions have enjoyed high prestige worldwide and have attracted thousands of students down through the years, their ranking is plummeting at present. For instance, Trinity College has fallen from 76th to 117th position, while UCD has fallen from 94th to 159th position in the rankings. Hopefully, this position will be reversed and this Bill in particular will create an environment in which Irish universities will return to their former rankings. One positive aspect is that UCC, NUI Galway and other universities are included in the listings of the top 500 universities worldwide, which is highly encouraging.

As for the Bill, Members must ensure the overarching authority ensures that Irish education awards are recognised internationally. In addition, the aforementioned authority should create a sector or body that promotes Irish universities, colleges and institutes of higher education internationally. In addition, the availability of the English language should be used to encourage international students to study in Ireland. I note the United Kingdom has a long history of welcoming overseas students to its universities and colleges. Last year, there were 1.8 million full-time undergraduate students in higher education in the United Kingdom, which included 104,000 international students. Moreover, the United Kingdom makes use of the British Council, which can be found in practically every country in the world, and which operates from its embassies and other representative agencies. Some institutions went further, even to the point of opening up offices to recruit international students into the United Kingdom. I suggest the new authority here should, through the network of Irish embassies and consulates located throughout the world, fellow develop well thought-out ideas to sell Irish higher education to international students. Apparently, the average income to be derived from such students is approximately €6,000 each, depending on the particular field of study on which they embark in Ireland. Incidentally, there has been a huge influx of students into the United Kingdom's universities from various countries, including, significantly, Asian countries. It attracts 67,000 from China, 39,000 from India, 17,000 from Nigeria, 16,000 from the United States of America, 13,000 from Malaysia and 10,000 each from Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, and Ireland should tap into this market in the near future.

In addition, the authority should develop the quality of science and mathematics courses to the highest standard by providing funding for research and by encouraging students to take up such courses. This in turn will encourage investors to create jobs based on science and technology in Ireland. The availability of a good number of science and maths students of a high standard can only be positive for the State's economy in the future. Finally, I note the Minister's recent announcement of the new Erasmus programme within the European Union. I congratulate him on his achievement in securing significant increases for this programme, as up to €19 million will be available over its timeframe. It also coincides with Ireland's Presidency of the European Union and we certainly should greatly benefit from this transfer and interaction of students between the Continent and Ireland. Ireland should grasp and make the most of this opportunity, as it should be highly beneficial for the Irish education system and students. It constitutes another step in the direction in which Ireland should progress.

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