Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Since 2011, three programmes for Government have pushed a technological university on the south east. I use the word "pushed" deliberately. Where is the Government's plan? IT Carlow and Waterford Institute of Technology, WIT, have fundamentally different visions for education. IT Carlow is oriented around the greater Dublin area. It is positioned around the strong Dublin universities. WIT has filled the need for a university in the south east. It is the top institute of technology nationally, having been awarded institute of technology of the year for the third time in ten years. The headquarters is to be fudged. There is to be distributed leadership, whatever that is supposed to mean. Massive amounts of capital have flowed into the sector. The small fraction that went into the south east went entirely to Carlow. In fact, of the €1.7 billion of capital investment undertaken in the sector in the past decade, zero has been invested in new teaching buildings in WIT. The State's entire investment supported IT Carlow's vision to deliver part-time and access programmes to the greater Dublin area. The State has abandoned the south east.

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