Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein)

It has been said that education is the most important weapon you can use to change the world for the better. In a changing and more complex world to navigate this has never been truer. For our further and higher education institutions to enable economic growth, they must be supported. The programme for Government commits to ongoing investment in these institutions to deliver sustainable economic growth, but we have yet to see that ambition matched with delivery.

The Government seems not to realise the scale of the funding crisis in our university sector. Eight of the 18 publicly funded higher education institutions were in the red last year. Unfortunately, one of those was from my city of Limerick. The University of Limerick was on that list. I am proud to come from a university city. We are exceptionally fortunate when you consider we have the Technological University of the Shannon, where I studied, the University of Limerick, Mary Immaculate, the teacher training college, the Limerick College of Further Education, Griffith College and a wonderful arts college all on our doorstep. These institutions contribute greatly to Limerick as do the thousands of students who study there and those who work in these institutions.

However, access to further education for some is still a massive challenge. A student contribution of €3,000 is way too high. We urgently need to move to a free fees scheme. We have an 11% drop out rate and this has been constant for a several years. It is reflective of the high costs associated with going to third level. Education is the gateway to success. Last month, I had the pleasure of attending the Access to Apprenticeship awards at TUS in Limerick. Many of those achieving the awards were the first in their families to ever attend third level. That achievement cannot be underestimated. Those getting their awards had completed their access course and because of their hard work were faced with the opportunity to continue their education work. One of the young graduates spoke bravely of the challenges in her life and her background, which made the idea of attending a graduation ceremony a most unlikely dream, but she did it and spoke of her next steps.

If we can do anything, we need to support access to apprenticeship schemes in university, in TUS in Limerick and roll it out across the State.

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