Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Ireland’s standard of third level education is world renowned. We have an incredibly well-educated workforce and it is one of the many reasons we attract so many of the world’s biggest and best corporations to our shores.

Data from the Central Statistics Office show that in 2021, 53% of people between 25 and 64 in Ireland had a third level degree. That is more than half of the population. This Bill will inform the HEA to make it even more progressive. It will support higher education institutes to achieve the highest standards of teaching, learning and research.

One of the most important provisions in this Bill is the commitment to promoting and safeguarding the interests of students. That includes improving the equality, diversity and inclusion in our higher education institutions. A 2020 report by the Royal Irish Academy could only identify one full-time black female academic professor in Ireland. Only a handful of postholders of Asian or other minority ethnic backgrounds were identified. Just as worryingly, the report could not identify how many students from ethnic minority backgrounds are in third level education here in Ireland. We not have that data and that is a problem because if we cannot identify or quantify a problem, we cannot fix it. Representation is important in all aspects of life and with higher education becoming so closely associated to better life outcomes, it is important that we have information on how diverse our third level institutions are. This legislation will make the HEA a regulator of the third level sector. With the role as regulator comes appropriate powers to seek information from our third level institutions and I hope the HEA will make equality, diversity and inclusion within our third level institutions a key priority, going forward.

I welcome the commitment of the Minister thus far to making third level campuses safer spaces for our students. Action on consent classes, reporting of offences and clearer support channels for victims of violence and harassment are all making a real difference. A published action plan for ending sexual violence and harassment on campus is now a requirement for all higher education institutions, HEIs. I welcome the role that the HEA will play in holding institutions accountable to ensure we continue to make progress in this area.

I am proud to sit on the governing board of University College Dublin, UCD. I am a graduate of UCD, which makes it all the more meaningful for me. I was elected to the governing authority when I was a councillor by my peers, the councillors on the executive of the Association of Irish Local Government, AILG. I know from my experience the important role that local councillors can play on the governing authorities of third level institutions. They bring a rounded, external perspective. They bring the views of their constituents and their experience as decision makers on local authorities. They have valuable contributions to make and the Minister of State needs to value that. We should be keeping the link between governing boards and the AILG to ensure that our HEIs continue to benefit form the unique role that local councillors play. This Bill, as it is currently set out, erases the opportunity for councillors to sit on university governing bodies. Twenty-five councillor seats will be lost across University College Cork, UCC, UCD, the National University of Ireland Galway, NUIG, and the University of Limerick, UL. In many cases, these are not new seats but have been in place since 1908. It would be a real shame if the Minister of State let this century-plus record come to an end because it would also mean the end of all local knowledge and regional links that councillors bring to university boards.

As I said, I am a former student of UCD and in my role on the governing authority, I have a direct window into the experience of today's students and faculty, an insight I am grateful to have as a legislator. I know the spirit of this legislation embodies the work that many HEIs are already doing to try to uphold the excellent reputation that Irish institutions have. Promoting and safeguarding the interests and experience of students should always be the priority at the heart of every third level institution. I welcome the important role this Bill will play in holding our third level institutions to an appropriate standard, holding them to account for the confidence of stakeholders, students and the public.

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