Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There has been much good news for County Tipperary with the establishment of the Technological University of the Shannon, which will host more than 14,000 students across six campuses, including Clonmel and Thurles. It is past time that we saw positive developments such as this for my county.

Now that such changes and reforms are being made, the Bill is of extreme importance.

Sinn Féin believes that all colleges should be given a greater degree of flexibility in terms of governance structures so long as necessary criteria, in terms of functioning and accountability, are met. I believe this to be of particular importance to the Technological University of the Shannon, given the large geographical area it covers.

Since Monday, 22 January, the Technological University of the Shannon started inviting expressions of interest from external candidates to join its governing body. Given the fact that the development of the Technological University of the Shannon, TUS, will prove to be so transformative for the regions concerned, it is crucial that there is adequate representation from all sides involved in university life.

The 2018 legislation to establish technological universities allowed for board membership of up to 22 or 26, depending on the number of institutes of technology that merge. I question why limiting this to 17 is seen as appropriate, given the geographic breadth of what we are talking about here. Given the broadness geographically and institutionally of the TUS and the potentials that are involved, there needs to be flexibility in terms of the level of representation allowed for universities of this status.

This Bill also contains mention of promoting a student-focused system. While I welcome that, it appears that the proposed reform to governing bodies could result in students having less representation on governing bodies. I would appreciate any clarity the Minister of State could provide on these concerns.

The world and, indeed, this country is changing rapidly these days. Progress is speeding up. This is the case in terms of technological advances, and it is equally the case for issues of personal development, equality and matters of tolerance and inclusivity. This rapid level of progression must be factored in when we are discussing the issue of representation on boards of institutions.

I welcome many aspects of this Bill, including student representation on the board of the HEA. This is where the importance of adequate and broad representation cannot be over emphasised.

While I also welcome the fact that improvements have been made in some areas during pre-legislative scrutiny, such as the inclusion of a specific role from the HEA in promoting cross-Border co-operation in higher education, Sinn Féin would still like to see a specific role in promoting cross-Border student enrolment.

I also recognise the establishment of the National Apprenticeship Office, but we need certainty that this is not used as an opportunity to dismantle the craft apprenticeship model.

Finally, I want to bring attention to how some people are not qualifying for supports to continue in their education. People need to be supported and encouraged in their ambition to improve the prospects of their families, not told to give up their education to avail of supports.

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