Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate that this issue does not relate to the Department of the Minister of State, Deputy Alex White, but I decided it was important to highlight it, even without a Minister from the Department of Education and Skills being present because of the urgency attached to it.

As people know, the wind-down of All Hallows College started last week and the 30 day consultation period has commenced. There was a meeting of the students in the college last night. As of now, there are no answers forthcoming and they have been informed that they will not be getting any from the board of trustees until Friday at the earliest, which is a major cause for concern.

All Hallows is a unique educational facility. Many of my former colleagues at the airport who worked for SR Technics pursued courses there when that company closed and European funding was made available. The college is a centre of excellence for mature students and its ethos is one of liberation through education. All Hallows looks at things differently and develops different types of programmes. Its closure would represent a tragic loss to the education system.

There are two problems which arise. At present, there are approximately 460 students studying at All Hallows and some 150 of them are pursuing the adult learning BA, ALBA, for personal and professional development. A number are due to graduate imminently and are, as a result, fairly much in the clear. The college will not be enrolling any further students but it estimates that it would take three to four years for existing students to complete their studies. Given that it is a private college, All Hallows does not fall under terms of the relevant legislation but the authorities there have stated that they will assist students in completing their studies. As yet, there has been no indication of how this might be achieved.

All Hallows is connected to DCU, St. Patrick's College of Education and the Mater Dei Institute under a linkage agreement, a copy of which I would like, if possible, to see. There are students at the college who want to continue their studies and who, in many instances, have paid thousands of euro towards their education. A large number of them are mature students. Their tutors and mentors at the college want to continue to facilitate the provision of adult education. What they need is another institutional setting in which to do so and for the Department of Education and Skills to do what it can to assist the process in this regard. Many of the college's degree and other programmes are facilitated by DCU, St. Patrick's College of Education and the Mater Dei Institute. We must be creative in terms of how we deal with that fact.

The ALBA programme is extremely important for mature students. I know someone who is studying at All Hallows and who had wanted to apply to pursue a masters degree in community development and voluntary work. The college offers some excellent programmes in that regard. Aontas has recommended that the ALBA programme, which is only available at All Hallows, should be rolled out across all third level institutions nationally. Prior learning is recognised under ALBA and the strands relating to it include adult education, human development and arts and ideas. It also includes a professional focus strand which emphasises areas such as community development etc. If the Department does not intervene to save the programme, it will be lost forever. Students were informed last night that they cannot transfer anywhere else as a result of the uniqueness of the ALBA programme.

The Department of Education and Skills must address this matter. Has it given any consideration to what it might do to help students who are currently studying at All Hallows? Has it considered how it might protect the type of educational programmes to which I refer and which have a great deal to offer both our economy and society?

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