David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I support the €90 million that has been made available for a transformative fund for institutes of technology. It is necessary if they are to be allowed to transform into technological universities. As the Minister for Education and Skills will know, there is an application from IT Carlow and WIT to become a technological university. It seems to be still bogged down in process and is far behind some of the other applications. We need to get a push on if we are to get it over the line. To reinforce the point for the Tánaiste and the Minister, the south east does not have a university. This would be the region's first university in the history of the State. According to the national planning framework, Waterford city's population will grow by 50% and the region's population will grow, yet many students are leaving the region to get third level qualifications. When will we see progress on this issue for people living in the south east?

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