Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies for raising this matter. I am standing in for the Minister of State, Deputy John Halligan, who has asked me to reply to the Deputies.

The position is that the Department of Education and Skills allocates recurrent funding to the Higher Education Authority, HEA, for direct disbursement to the HEA designated higher education institutions. The HEA allocates this funding as a block grant to the institutions, including Dublin Institute of Technology, DIT. As autonomous bodies, the internal disbursement of this funding, along with any funding it receives from private sources, is a matter for the individual institution. The Bachelor of Arts in visual art has been delivered by DIT in partnership with the Sherkin Island Development Society for the past 14 years. The programme is a full-time honours degree programme delivered on Sherkin Island. It was developed and designed by DIT in collaboration with the Sherkin Island Development Society. The programme represents an innovative approach to programme delivery and partnership in education. The programme engages explicitly with the Sherkin Island community and fosters a critical understanding of the community’s cultural and economic relationships. By means of this partnership, DIT provides the necessary academic input, with lectures taking place in Sherkin by video link. The Sherkin Island Development Society provides the administrative assistance and facilities to ensure the smooth running of the programme and to support students on site in Sherkin. The Minister for Education and Skills understands that this model has been effective in delivering a model of outreach education that is valued by both students, the academic teaching staff and the community. The Department does not have a role in the funding of the Sherkin Island Development Society. However, the Minister understands that a meeting was held on 12 February between DIT and the funding partners for the Sherkin Island Development Society programme, namely, the Department of Culture, Heritage and Gaeltacht and Cork County Council. The Department has been informed that one of the items discussed at this meeting was the future support available to continue the visual art BA programme that is delivered by DIT.

Officials from the Department of Education and Skills understand that both DIT and the Sherkin Island development society are awaiting formal communication from the funding partners about the outcome of this meeting. DIT has reiterated its continued commitment to the visual arts programme and its desire to continue the outreach programme in partnership with the Sherkin Island development society. However, this is contingent on the Sherkin Island development society being able to continue its support for the programme. To provide the necessary reassurance for students while discussions about the future of the programme have been ongoing, DIT has provided a commitment to the cohort of students currently on the programme that they will be able to complete the programme on graduation. The commitment is provided under DIT's policy for protection of enrolled learners.

DIT is willing to continue to deliver the programme in partnership with the Sherkin Island development society but, ultimately, funding for the Sherkin Island development society is not a matter for the Department of Education and Skills. The Minister, Deputy Halligan, thanks the Deputy for affording me the opportunity to respond to the House on his behalf.

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