Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 57 and 58 together.

We are pursuing a range of actions to implement the international education strategy and to position Ireland as a top-quality destination for study. At present, some 32,000 students are registered in Irish higher education institutions, including 7,000 studying on Irish programmes overseas.

We are concentrating our efforts on countries with potential for significant growth. An education mission to China took place in March last and further missions are expected for India, the Gulf, Vietnam and Malaysia in the coming months. I will formally launch a scholarship scheme later this year targeted at priority markets.

A series of branding initiatives are being rolled out by Enterprise Ireland, including an enhanced website, a social media strategy and a student ambassador programme.

On the regulatory front, the new Quality and Qualifications Agency will introduce a statutory code of practice and international education mark, in line with the recently enacted qualifications and quality assurance Act.

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