Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his response. It is important we address this issue as soon as possible. The fact the non-progression rate stands at 15% is extremely worrying. The Minister has pointed out that there was improvement in some courses, but there are courses such as construction and level 6 and level 7 courses that still have an unacceptably high rate of non-progression. The Minister is aware that we have had meetings of the Joint Committee on Education and Skills where many academics from the institutes of technology clearly outlined the impact of the lack of funding in the sector. Many of the academics spoke of how they were going out of their way to support students, disadvantaged students and students with disabilities and special needs and how they were finding it extremely difficult to do so. This issue needs urgent action. I would like to see concrete actions and timeframes. The Minister has said there will be a range of measures introduced, but we need a timeframe. Those academics are at the end of their tether in the institutes of technology and it is unfair to subject staff to that sort of pressure.

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