Joanna Tuffy (Labour)

I welcome this debate on an issue about which I feel strongly. Adult and further education is a key area of the education system. Mention has been made recently of fourth level education, which appears to be a new term because I do not remember it being used in the past. Adult and further education should be called fourth level education. The concept of lifelong learning should be the central concept in our education system from which everything else springs.

Our education system is still very much based around giving individuals one shot at its different levels, albeit to a lesser extent than before. Individuals get one shot at primary and secondary education and the leaving certificate, which presents the opportunity to go on to third level education. Therefore, if a person fails or does not sit the leaving certificate, he or she has missed out on his or her dose of education. We must move away from this model. The way to vindicate people's right to education is to make lifelong learning the central concept in the education system.

Our society will also benefit economically from lifelong learning. I agreed with the point made by Senator O'Toole when he spoke about the wonderful talents which can emerge in mature students. I was not a mature student for the majority of my time at university but it appeared to me that mature students were often the most motivated. A friend of mine who has returned to university to study for a degree is obtaining very good results, is extremely motivated and loves the chosen subject. Mature students are possibly more motivated than students who enter university from second-level education because they are not pursuing their course of study because of family expectations or peer pressure. They are pursuing particular courses of study because they want to study these subjects. They could be taking a step back in terms of their career or the course could take up a considerable amount of time because they will continue working but they have decided to return to education because they are very interested in their chosen subject. Mature students often receive distinctions or first-class honours degrees so a considerable amount of talent enters the system. Senator O'Toole spoke about an individual who returned to pursue a postgraduate course in pure physics. These people possess expertise which could be very important for our knowledge economy and ensuring Ireland's competitiveness.

Lifelong learning must become the central concept around which the education system is built. A flexible model of education is needed, particularly at third level. People should be able to study as part-time students during the day or night and transfer from full-time to part-time study and vice versa. People should be able to study in different stages. If I had dropped out of my degree course, the chances are that I would not have had the opportunity to return to education. The system should be organised so that if a person pursues a third-level course for two years, he or she should receive some kind of qualification to which he or she can add at a later stage. This should be the basis of our system which should also allow students to study for short or long periods of time. I agree with the call by AONTAS to extend the free fees initiative to cover part-time study.

For any course covered by the free tuition scheme at full-time level, a part-time course should also be available. If there is a flexible model of education, the cost of such would be absorbed, as people who have already paid for full-time courses may drop out and there are thousands of vacant places in the CAO system each year. Some of the vacant places could be filled by part-time students who would get the benefit of the free fees initiative. A costing has been carried out by AONTAS and the amount of money involved is not significant. One would see benefits to the economy in other ways. Our system should take this route.

Ireland needs an open university-type system similar to that in the UK. One can study for Open University courses here. Recently, I examined a brochure for such and it appeared to be an attractive way of pursuing further education. One can do short courses for a few months each, but they can be added together to form a degree. A number of subjects are interesting. For example, if one is studying science, it could relate to drugs in society. They are attractive as short courses and can be used towards full-time degrees.

Although Open University courses are available here, a number of courses are UK-specific, such as the criminal justice system. As such, it is important for Ireland to have its own open university system, but not one in which one must go to Maynooth or wherever. One should be able to access the system anywhere in the country and it should not be tied to any university or a number of universities. An Irish system could be undertaken in partnership with the UK's Open University.

Senator O'Toole mentioned the use of technology. The Department supports the idea of outreach centres to provide opportunities for third level study. A plan was adopted for the development of Adamstown, a requirement of which was ICT incubation units with a third level outreach aspect. For this to succeed, the Government must be more proactive in driving the initiative so that there would be outreach centres in various parts of the country. In Adamstown, the idea of the centre was to access studies from the Institute of Technology, Tallaght, National University of Ireland, Galway, or so on.

Technology and, for example, webcasting should be used more in further education, which I suggested in respect of providing literacy education. Many people will not go to literacy classes provided in a particular building. However, if material were provided on the Internet, it would be one way to reach out to communities, such as foreign nationalities who would then be able to access education. This matter should be developed and supported by the Government.