Results 10,721-10,740 of 45,539 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland (24 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: The main support available to students is the statutory based Student Grant Scheme where students are studying for the first time or are progressing to study at a higher level e.g. progressing to postgraduate study. To qualify for grant support, a student has to meet various criteria such as means, residency, nationality and progression. The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland (24 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: As part of a comprehensive customer service and communications strategy provided by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), to ensure that all necessary avenues are open to applicants to receive the information they need, a dedicated email and phone line service is provided by SUSI for Oireachtas members. This was established to meet an identified need for applicants who choose to engage...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Technological Universities (24 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: TU Dublin is an autonomous higher education institution (HEI) within the meaning of the Technological Universities Act 2018. As such the management of the technological university's academic affairs, including the curriculum and instruction and education provided by the technological university are matters for TU Dublin. My Department allocates funding to the Higher Education Authority (HEA)...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme (24 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: Under the terms of the Student Grant Scheme, grant assistance is awarded to students attending an approved course in an approved institution who meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those relating to nationality, residency, progression, previous academic attainment and means. To satisfy the terms and conditions of the student grant scheme in relation to progression, a student...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (24 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are governed by the Universities Act 1997, the Institutes of Technologies Acts 1992 to 2006 and the Technological Universities Act 2018. Within the meaning of these Acts, HEIs are autonomous with regard to the management of their academic affairs and as such retain the right to determine their own procedures, criteria and processes. Arrangements...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (24 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: In order to help mitigate the impact of the changes to the grading system, I announced the creation of an additional 2,225 places on high-demand courses in Higher Education Institutions. These places have resulted in the highest ever number of applicants receiving a CAO offers, with 53,815 CAO applicants receiving round one offers on Friday 11th September. It is not envisaged that any places...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (24 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: Higher Education Institutions are autonomous with regard to their academic and administrative affairs, including in relation to admissions. Therefore any limits on the number of deferrals are a matter for the HEIs themselves and neither I nor my Department have a role in this matter. I understand, based on the information available to me, that some HEIs are placing limits on the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (24 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: Universities are autonomous institutions within the meaning of the Universities Act 1997 and the management of their academic affairs, including the delivery of course,s are matters for the individual institutions. In this context the Department understands that NUI Galway offers an accredited blended-learning training course on demonstrating/tutoring to assist in improving teaching...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (24 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 203 and 204 together. To support the return to college in 2020, on July 22nd my Department published its three-pillar series of guides for returning to on-site learning in 2021, which consisted of a high-level roadmap, a COVID-19 adaptation framework, and practical guidance for returning to on-site activity. This unique three-pillar approach was developed...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (24 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: The outcomes of the first Rapid Response Call to COVID-19 that ran under the national coordinated research and innovation response to the pandemic were announced in April 2020. The Irish Research Council and the Health Research Board jointly funded a strand of this call, which focused on the development of medical countermeasures, health service readiness, and social and political...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Crime Data (24 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: Statistics of this nature have not historically been collected on a systematic basis from the higher education sector. However, in 2019 information was collected which highlighted the following data in respect of 19 institutions, where information was available. The specific actions adjudged necessary and taken as a result of any such incident are matters for each higher education...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (24 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 207 and 208 together. Last week in the light of the deterioration in the COVID-19 situation in Dublin, following NPHET’s request, Government asked that higher and further education institutions consider enhanced protective measures. In the light of this request, additional protections are being introduced which will see a more gradual reopening of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Bullying in Educational Institutions (24 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: Statistics of this nature are not currently available to my Department. To address this data deficit going forward on 4 August 2020 I wrote to the presidents of all publicly funded higher education institutions (HEIs) on the implementation of the Framework for Consent in HEIs; Safe, Respectful, Supportive and Positive: Ending Sexual Harassment in Irish Higher Education Institutions....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (23 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: I am conscious of the challenges faced by students regarding student accommodation this year due to financial pressures and the blended learning format of the 2020/21 academic year. Throughout the last number of months my Department has been engaging with representatives from the higher education sector to address the challenges faced by students in this difficult time. My Department, in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (23 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: Risk mitigation plans across the FET and HE sectors are informed by the size and layout of buildings, the numbers of learners enrolled, the types of awards and educational opportunities available, the transport links available and the resources available (including human resources). Each FET centre and HE institution has carried out a risk assessment on their college/centre and put protective...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (23 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: To support the return to college in 2020, on July 22nd my Department published its three-pillar series of guides for returning to on-site learning in 2021, which consisted of a high-level roadmap, a COVID-19 adaptation framework, and practical guidance for returning to on-site activity. This unique three-pillar approach was developed in close consultation with agencies, stakeholders, provider...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Springboard Programme (23 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: Springboard+ which incorporates the ICT skills conversion programme, is a specific initiative which provides free and 90% subsidised part-time and full-time courses aimed at addressing the current skills needs of employers and supporting jobseekers to return to employment. Employed or self-employed people are eligible to undertake NFQ Level 6 courses free of charge, and NFQ level 7-9 courses...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme (23 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: Under the terms of the student grant scheme, grant assistance is awarded to students who meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means. With regard to the residency criterion, in order to be eligible for a grant, a "student", as defined in Section 14 of the Student Support Act 2011, must demonstrate that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (22 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 599 and 611 together. The CAO system is a system that works on the assumption that grades obtained in the Leaving Certificate by candidates determine their points. It is on this basis that the CAO system allocates places to applicants including those from different years. To ensure impartiality, the automatic CAO points systems have been created in a way that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme (22 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: It is not possible to definitively calculate the cost of the various adjustments that have been made to the student support system since 2008, particularly in light of the demographic changes that have taken place. To put it in context, in 2008/09 there were 57,261 students who benefitted from grant support at a cost of €264m, whereas in 2019/20 there were over 71,000 students in...