Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I appreciate that this issue does not relate to the Department of the Minister of State, Deputy Alex White, but I decided it was important to highlight it, even without a Minister from the Department of Education and Skills being present because of the urgency attached to it.

As people know, the wind-down of All Hallows College started last week and the 30 day consultation period has commenced. There was a meeting of the students in the college last night. As of now, there are no answers forthcoming and they have been informed that they will not be getting any from the board of trustees until Friday at the earliest, which is a major cause for concern.

All Hallows is a unique educational facility. Many of my former colleagues at the airport who worked for SR Technics pursued courses there when that company closed and European funding was made available. The college is a centre of excellence for mature students and its ethos is one of liberation through education. All Hallows looks at things differently and develops different types of programmes. Its closure would represent a tragic loss to the education system.

There are two problems which arise. At present, there are approximately 460 students studying at All Hallows and some 150 of them are pursuing the adult learning BA, ALBA, for personal and professional development. A number are due to graduate imminently and are, as a result, fairly much in the clear. The college will not be enrolling any further students but it estimates that it would take three to four years for existing students to complete their studies. Given that it is a private college, All Hallows does not fall under terms of the relevant legislation but the authorities there have stated that they will assist students in completing their studies. As yet, there has been no indication of how this might be achieved.

All Hallows is connected to DCU, St. Patrick's College of Education and the Mater Dei Institute under a linkage agreement, a copy of which I would like, if possible, to see. There are students at the college who want to continue their studies and who, in many instances, have paid thousands of euro towards their education. A large number of them are mature students. Their tutors and mentors at the college want to continue to facilitate the provision of adult education. What they need is another institutional setting in which to do so and for the Department of Education and Skills to do what it can to assist the process in this regard. Many of the college's degree and other programmes are facilitated by DCU, St. Patrick's College of Education and the Mater Dei Institute. We must be creative in terms of how we deal with that fact.

The ALBA programme is extremely important for mature students. I know someone who is studying at All Hallows and who had wanted to apply to pursue a masters degree in community development and voluntary work. The college offers some excellent programmes in that regard. Aontas has recommended that the ALBA programme, which is only available at All Hallows, should be rolled out across all third level institutions nationally. Prior learning is recognised under ALBA and the strands relating to it include adult education, human development and arts and ideas. It also includes a professional focus strand which emphasises areas such as community development etc. If the Department does not intervene to save the programme, it will be lost forever. Students were informed last night that they cannot transfer anywhere else as a result of the uniqueness of the ALBA programme.

The Department of Education and Skills must address this matter. Has it given any consideration to what it might do to help students who are currently studying at All Hallows? Has it considered how it might protect the type of educational programmes to which I refer and which have a great deal to offer both our economy and society?

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I am taking this matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Quinn, and I thank Deputy Clare Daly for raising it.

The Department of Education and Skills was informed by All Hallows College of its intention to wind down its operations. The President of the college indicated to the Department that its closure will be handled in an orderly manner. As the Deputy will be aware, All Hallows is a private college that specialises, inter alia, in the teaching of theology, philosophy, psychology and English literature. A linkage agreement has, as the Deputy noted, been in place between DCU and All Hallows since 2008. As a result of this agreement, All Hallows College became a college of DCU and all degrees are validated and accredited by the latter. The college is not an approved institution under the Higher Education Authority and it does not receive core funding from the Department. However, three full-time undergraduate courses in the college are approved under the Department's free fees initiative. Under the latter, the Exchequer meets the cost of tuition fees in respect of eligible students on approved full-time courses. In the case of All Hallows, the Department refunds the cost of tuition fees up to a limit of 130 students on the three approved courses. The college was paid some €440,000 for the 2013-14 academic year in respect of 119 eligible students who attended the courses to which I refer for the full year.

A wide-ranging reform programme of the higher education system is being implemented. This arises on foot of the modernisation framework contained in the national strategy for higher education to the year 2030. The latter recommends that continuing funding support for institutions such as All Hallows, which receive limited public funding for specific programmes, should be a matter for the Higher Education Authority and subject to ongoing review in the context of quality outcomes, overall demand and available provision within relevant regional clusters. In May 2013 the Minister set out his response to the Higher Education Authority's advice on future system configuration and confirmed the approach recommended. In its consideration of the limited free fees funding allocated to All Hallows, the Higher Education Authority concluded that existing provision should be continued.

Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

A couple of issues arise. The college has developed and moved on from the theological base on which it was founded. Its current ethos is very much based on social justice and community. As already stated, it has a particular focus on mature students who want a second chance at education. On foot of its ethos, it has certainly inspired people to undertake voluntary and community work. It is quite important, therefore, that it should be saved. As the Minister of State indicated, the problem which arises in this regard relates to money. All Hallows is a private college but, as he also indicated, the State pays it some money on the basis of the number of students pursuing particular courses. However, this money is capped. If the cap were lifted, that might assist in alleviating the situation.

One of the solutions being discussed relates to the fact that DCU has decided to accept a different combination of subjects in respect of the relevant courses and this would help in attracting more students. I do not wish to be disrespectful but dropping many of the theology combinations and focusing more on the other programmes might be the way forward. DCU has agreed that this would, in fact, attract more students. The difficulty is that the Department must lift the cap to which I refer. It must be accepted that All Hallows is a fine educational facility on the northside of Dublin. The premises in which it is located is extremely impressive and it would be tragic if it was lost to the education sector. The college has relied on philanthropy to survive and is existing on the basis of endowment funds, which are being depleted, and some fees. It sold some land a number of years ago in order to fund its operations.

Could the State not intervene and negotiate with the authorities at the college in order to try to preserve it as an educational facility? We know, on the basis of population projections, that we are going to require more such facilities in the future. I accept that this matter is not relevant to the Minister of State's Department but I request that he impress on the Minister for Education and Skills the need for an intervention in respect of it. A further meeting of the ALBA students is due to take place tonight. Most of the latter are mature students and they are extremely concerned. The Government could, without breaking the bank, secure what is a fine educational establishment. If it lifted the cap in respect of the courses to which I referred earlier, the number of students would increase and this would be enough to keep All Hallows going. The college estimates that it would required €2 million in order to get through the next academic year. That is not a huge amount and most of the students who attend the college pay fees. As stated earlier, many of them are former colleagues of mine at Dublin airport. All Hallows provides a fine service. I appeal to the Minister for Education and Skills to link up with the authorities there in order to discover what might be done in the context of securing its future for both current and prospective students.

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy acknowledged, All Hallows is a private college. It is a fine institution and the Deputy did a great job describing it. I know All Hallows and its history very well because I grew up just a stone's throw from it. Everything the Deputy said about it, its history and its contribution to education is absolutely correct.

As I noted earlier, the Department provides the college with specific funding under the free fees initiative in respect of a small cohort of the student population. I am not sure whether I fully grasp the point the Deputy made in the context of the relationship with DCU and the cap in respect of All Hallows. I understand the point about the cap but I must point out that it was not reached in any of the past three years.

The cap on numbers in respect of which the free fees would be reimbursed was 130 in 2013-14 and 119 students availed of it. The cap has been 130 for the past three years and the numbers who availed of the scheme were 119 in 2013-14, 121 in 2012-13 and 103 in 2011-12 while the number was 112 in 2010-11 when the cap was 136. The Deputy may have been making a point in respect of a possible connection with DCU.

Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

It is a case of whether the college could change the mix of courses. DCU has agreed this might make it more attractive.

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I understand that point now, I did not grasp it earlier. Certainly, I will communicate that to the Minister for Education and Skills. The Deputy raises what is absolutely a fair point in that respect.

I have no wish to speak directly on behalf of the Minister for Education and Skills but the Minister must operate in respect of the future planning and configuration of higher education on the basis of a rational plan from the Higher Education Authority that covers the configuration of need and course mix throughout the third level sector. He received this advice last year and he is proceeding on that basis. It is difficult for any individual college or an individual request to depart from the overall global plan the Minister must observe. I will certainly communicate what the Deputy has said to the Minister, Deputy Quinn.

It is clearly a difficult time for the staff and students involved in the college. In the first instance everyone's thoughts are with them. It is a very human situation. These people are facing the closure of an institution. The same would apply to any third level institution. I hope and expect that the interests of students are kept to the fore of the arrangements being undertaken by the college. The Department has welcomed the fact that the college intends to wind down on a phased basis to facilitate, as far as possible, the completion of students' studies. Meanwhile, I undertake to communicate to the Minister the issues the Deputy has raised in this context.