Results 981-1,000 of 3,797 for speaker:Ciarán Cannon

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Mar 2012)

Ciarán Cannon: These amendments are of a technical nature and provide for the replacement of the term "may withdraw" throughout the Bill with the term "shall withdraw" to clarify that the authority must do so if it considers that approval of quality assurance procedures, programme validation, delegated authority to make an award or the access, transfer and progression procedures and use of the international...

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Mar 2012)

Ciarán Cannon: These amendments are of a technical nature and are required to link more clearly designated awarding bodies with their particular linked providers.

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Mar 2012)

Ciarán Cannon: Amendments Nos. 50 and 123 provide for the payment to the authority where it is requested by a designated awarding body to assist in carrying out of a review of a linked provider. That is consistent with the approach to fees set out in the Bill for other services of the authority. Perhaps Senator Barrett wants to speak to amendments Nos. 122 and 125 or will I continue?

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Mar 2012)

Ciarán Cannon: With regard to amendments Nos. 122 and 125 submitted by Senator Barrett, while all other fees in the Bill are paid by providers, there is provision for a fee payable by a learner for the making of an award by the authority and learners already pay fees to HETAC and FETAC for this service. It is proposed to retain this and I cannot support the amendment on that basis. It should be noted that...

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Mar 2012)

Ciarán Cannon: This amendment amends subsection (8) to ensure designated awarding bodies provide to the authority a copy of reports they prepare following a review of a linked provider. The reports are also provided to the linked provider concerned and are to be published.

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Mar 2012)

Ciarán Cannon: These amendments insert new sections before the existing section 37 and relate to the quality assurance relationship between designated awarding bodies, the universities NUI, DIT and RCSI, and their linked providers. The new section 37 provides that relevant designated awarding bodies may, having carried out a review of a linked provider, issue directions relating to the effectiveness and...

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Mar 2012)

Ciarán Cannon: Amendment No. 62 is a minor technical amendment to replace the work "framework" with the term "framework of qualifications" for clarification purposes and for consistency with the title of the section. I cannot support amendments Nos. 63 and 64. The Bill requires each awarding body and each provider, including previously established universities, to ensure learners acquire the necessary...

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Mar 2012)

Ciarán Cannon: Everybody involved in education would accept that quality assurance has a role to play in education provision. The universities collectively would take that view as well. Each university has a quality office. The universities saw fit to establish the Irish Universities Quality Board. Those offices in each institution review each school and faculty on a cyclical basis and examine student...

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Mar 2012)

Ciarán Cannon: I do not propose to add to the excellent contributions of the Senators who have a deep understanding of the sector. To respond to Senator Barrett's comments on small schools, the Department has been challenged to find €350 million in savings between now and 2015. Part of the process will involve the savings that accrue from the amalgamation of the awarding bodies. A significant process of...

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Mar 2012)

Ciarán Cannon: With regard to the universities, all the authority will set out to do is to assess whether a university's internal quality assurance processes are in place and stand up to scrutiny. It will be incumbent on every university to ensure its processes provide for student feedback.

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Mar 2012)

Ciarán Cannon: No. For example, between level 1 and level 10 under FETAC and HETAC, there is specific provision for student feedback to form part of the quality assurance process. It is provided for in section 27. I assume it would also apply in assessing the quality assurance procedures in universities.

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Mar 2012)

Ciarán Cannon: Yes, from level 1 to level 10. We will ask universities, in preparing their quality assurance procedures, to ensure the provision is in place. We will not seek to have that interaction within universities.

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Mar 2012)

Ciarán Cannon: I agree with Senator Power. The standard-setting procedure is provided for in section 27. An authority, particularly in the case of universities, does not intend to get involved with the day-to-day management of universities or the design and delivery of programmes. It can ensure quality assurance procedures are in place which provide for a significant and effective level of student...

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Mar 2012)

Ciarán Cannon: This amendment inserts a new subsection to allow the authority to establish different policies and criteria for the validation of different programmes or classes of programmes. This will allow the authority to have flexibility in dealing with different types of education and training provision and providers.

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Mar 2012)

Ciarán Cannon: The amendment replaces subsection (6) entirely to allow providers which are not relevant or linked providers to establish procedures for quality assurance and access, transfer and progression as if they were a relevant provider. It is necessary to allow all providers which are not currently relevant or linked providers to comply with the conditions under which providers may apply for...

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Mar 2012)

Ciarán Cannon: This amendment is to clarify that a provider listed in subsection (7), for example institutes of technology, FÁS, Fáilte Island, Teagasc, Bord Iascaigh Mhara, VECs and recognised schools, are not required to make an application for programme validation to the authority in respect of certain types of education and training provision but can do so if they wish. Such cases include where a...

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Mar 2012)

Ciarán Cannon: This is a technical amendment to reflect that the delegated authority may extend to a class of programmes and not just an individual programme.

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Mar 2012)

Ciarán Cannon: Section 39 sets out the procedure for how a provider may apply to the authority for validation of a programme of education and training. This is open to all providers of education. The list to which the Senator referred is a list of providers which have no option but to apply to the authority for validation. All other providers, including community-based providers, may apply to the...

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Mar 2012)

Ciarán Cannon: My comment was related solely to adult and continuing education, not programmes in a primary education setting.

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Mar 2012)

Ciarán Cannon: That applies to VECs only.