Results 8,641-8,660 of 45,495 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Private Partnerships (2 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: The most recent Public Private Partnership (PPP) agreement for delivery of higher education infrastructure relates to the East and Central Quads at Grangegorman. The Grangegorman PPP project provides state of the art facilities for the TU Dublin Colleges of Sciences and Health, Arts and Tourism and for the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Both the East Quad and Central Quad...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Medical Research and Training (2 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 699 and 700 together. The fee payable by a student can vary depending on a variety factors including the type of course and the student's access route including previous education. Entry to medicine in Irish HEIs is provided through both undergraduate and graduate entry routes. Under the Department's Free Fees Initiative (FFI), the Exchequer pays tuition fees...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Provision (2 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: 2022 will see an increase in excess of 3,100 off-the-job training places being made available across craft apprenticeship phases 2, 4 and 6 over 2021 scheduled numbers (pre-COVID expected provision). This additional capacity has already begun to come on-stream from September 2021 and will be delivered under a three-step response plan agreed by SOLAS, HEA and education and training providers....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (2 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: Higher education institutions are autonomous bodies as set out in legislation and are responsible for the day-to-day management and operational affairs of the institution including the determination of scholarships. My Department is therefore not in a position to provide details of public or semi-state scholarships partnered to Higher Education Institutions. The Government of Ireland -...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Standards (2 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: QQI has a framework of statutory quality assurance (QA) guidelines in place for all providers - . This framework has served to underpin the quality and integrity of the further and higher education sector over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic to date as this sector has transitioned from in-person to more online and blended provision in response to public health restrictions. QQI’s...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (2 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: The Student Grant Scheme, administered by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), provides grant assistance to students attending an approved course in an approved institution who meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means. Approved courses for the Student Grant Scheme 2021 are prescribed in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Staff (2 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: Third level institutes are responsible for the administration of the pension schemes under their remit and will be aware of their responsibility to operate in accordance with the provisions of the relevant pension schemes. I respect the autonomy of the third level institutions and their responsibility to operate in compliance with regulations. In general, public sector pension schemes...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Contracts (2 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: The information sought by the Deputy regarding contracts of an indefinite period is not immediately available. It is being sourced and collated and will be forwarded to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Medical Research and Training (2 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: The Higher Education Authority (HEA) has advised that the total cost of educating an undergraduate medical student is estimated at c.€25,000 – €30,000 per student per annum. This cost is generally met from a variety of sources including state grant/fees/other income and therefore €25,000-€30,000 does not represent the total cost to the State.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Nursing Education (2 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: I can confirm that my officials have requested a copy of McHugh report on student nurse and midwife clinical placement allowances.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: I thank the Chairman for inviting me, my Department and agencies of my Department to attend today. At the outset I want to commend this committee on the work it is undertaking in this area, which is hugely valuable. The way in which the committee is going about this work, in a very public and transparent way, is really helping with the important discourse that needs to happen now in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: There were loads of questions and I have little time to answer them. I want to both agree and disagree with Deputy Conway-Walsh on various matters. I will not drop the idea, as the Deputy said, that part of the issue around apprenticeships is not a lack of information, a snobbery or a cultural issue because I genuinely believe it is. That is not abdicating responsibility because I accept...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: More training on resilience would probably be useful in this game. The Senator raised a valid question. It is a point that I am trying to make here without being overly prescriptive or without crystal ball-gazing too much. There are skills that are transversal skills that I do not think our second level system as currently constructed is able to deliver on. That is not a criticism of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: The Deputy made an important point. I meet people all the time who say that someone will do third level or an apprenticeship. An apprenticeship is third level. The Deputy is right, in that it is a question of how we speak about it. Anything that someone does that is learning post school and is credentialled is third level.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: We do not talk about it like that, though. Instead, we ask whether we will go to third level or do an apprenticeship, but an apprenticeship is just a different way of doing third level.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: I think the short answer is "Yes". We have a responsibility to build it up within our own sector as well. I am very struck by Dr. O'Connor's comments, which are hugely valid and probably broaden the discussion. If we talk about everything to do with 16- and 17-year-olds as being what happens within the school, we limit our options quite frankly. This is because schools can only do so much...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: Can I make a brief point on retrofitting? I am conscious that Deputy Ó Cathasaigh raised this point. We are fully committed to it. However, I want to emphasise the point Mr. Brownlee made. It is a serious point from a policy perspective. We will not be found wanting as a Department, nor will SOLAS as an agency of our Department, in making sure we do everything we can to expand...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: I endorse and agree with everything Senator Pauline O'Reilly has said. Earlier, I posed a question about climate skills in trying to help this committee with its deliberations on leaving certificate reform. While we have a role to do with third level in terms of climate and green skills, why are we retrofitting our citizens with those skills at that age when we could be doing it much...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: The Deputy is correct. I will ask the HEA to provide to the committee any data it has on numbers and percentages and maybe SOLAS also has some information. I will highlight two actions we are taking. One is on apprenticeships. We are setting targets for the public sector for the first time for 750 apprentices to be taken on in a year in the public sector by 2025, compared to an average of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: Deputy Jim O'Callaghan's comments on the leaving certificate are very fair. The leaving certificate has its successes and for certain professions and people who wish to go a certain way in life, it works extremely well. Even for those for whom it works well - students who do extremely well in it - the sense I get from many of them is that they wished they had been exposed to other skills....