Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important Bill. Deputy Donnelly made reference to China and London. University College Cork has an extensive relationship with Shanghai and China generally. The European Chinese experience is working quite well in UCC and is bringing economic benefits to the university and the city. Furthermore, it shows the world that we have a university with world class standards that puts learning at its core and has established itself in China.

It is important that we take a holistic approach to this debate by considering standards of and access to learning and what we want from education. The Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills, Deputy Cannon, is closely involved with developing a model of education which requires movement and change. As a school teacher, I recognise the dedicated and committed teachers who work in every classroom and every school. At all levels of the education system such individuals empower and challenge their students to learn. We often hear media commentary which decries the quality of education but I challenge those who are interested in education to look at the way our examination system expects students to learn by rote in some cases.

All of us agree on the need to consolidate and make government smaller and more centralised in some cases. The creation of a single body will, I hope, increase efficiency in the Department of Education and Skills and bring a sense of identity to the awarding bodies. In my experience of adult and continuing education as a director a school in Ballincollig, FETAC was a welcome addition to the education sector because it gave people a sense of purpose as well as a qualification. That is very important today.

Resources alone will not change the quality of our education system. We are spending sizeable sums on education and I ask where the money is going. We must make the education system more agile and responsive to evolving trends worldwide. If the education system is as bad as some people make it out to be, what is the reason for the amount of foreign direct investment and the quality of postgraduates attracted to this country? We should identify the areas where the system is deficient and improve them. Educational providers will find it easier to deal with a single agency.

The former Minister for Education and Science, Batt O'Keeffe, has called for the National University of Ireland to be abolished but that is not necessarily the correct course of action. Further debate is needed on this. We should aim to improve the reputation of our education system both domestically and internationally. The system should facilitate people in attaining their ambitions. It is critical that the new body delivers international best practice if we are to attract investment and equip students for the marketplace and the world. The new body should engage in ongoing consultation with employers when deciding on policy and validation criteria. Equally, the third level sector must engage with business if it is to ensure the continued relevance of courses and qualifications.

This Bill reflects the Government's commitment to reduce the number of quangos. The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport has led the way in this regard. As of last November, we have seen movement by the Government in terms of abolishing and merging quangos and further plans are afoot in this regard.

University College Cork has a strong reputation for professionalism and it has improved its position in the world university ranking system. It is ranked at 100th position by employers, which is an improvement on its rank last year. That is a tribute to the way the college is going under the stewardship of Dr. Michael Murphy. In research, Ireland has moved from 36th in the world to our current position of 20th, a significant jump. UCC is the only university in Ireland to achieve five-star status. We have serious issues in our universities but much excellent work is also being done. It is wrong to paint a picture of this being all negative when much positive work is being done.

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