Feargal Quinn (Independent)

I consider that to be both highly desirable and easily achievable. What I welcome in the Bill is that it re-affirms and copperfastens the binary system in our third level education. Under a binary system, universities are one entity and institutes of technology are another. Universities are not jumped-up institutes of technology. Institutes of technology are not failed universities or would-be universities. Under a true binary system, each type of institution has its own distinctive role and, ideally, is held in the same high regard, both by the State and the public. I hope the Bill will put an end to the counterproductive posturing that has dogged the institutes of technology sector over the past few decades.

Many of the institutes have mounted campaigns to be given university status, about which we have heard today, and this has often been vehemently supported by public opinion in their own local areas. The case that comes to mind in particular is that of Waterford. I believe this activity has been counterproductive, because it has prevented the institutes developing to the full their own identity. It is important to understand why people would seek to undermine their own status in this way. I believe it is because of the way the institutes of technology were always treated as the poor cousins of the third level system. Senator Ryan referred to this matter. In particular, they were not administered as independent entities like universities but were ruled directly — even down to the smallest matters — by the iron hand of the Department of Education and Science.

This is not just a question of headstrong people wanting to do their own thing. If we are to understand third level education, we must appreciate that to realise its full potential this sector must be given the maximum freedom to manage its own affairs and in particular to pursue innovation in the face of changing circumstances. To the extent that we try to micromanage third level education from the top down we restrict its ability to serve the community to the best effect.

It is understandable that many people in the institutes of technology sector came to the conclusion that the only way they would get this freedom would be by becoming universities. Accordingly, many of the institutes diverted some of their efforts from their real job and started to behave more and more like universities — in a classic example of mission drift. In other words, they headed in the wrong direction. This approach failed to succeed and the Bill puts the final nail in the coffin of that misguided campaign. From that point of view I welcome it.

We are entitled to congratulate ourselves that in this country we have not rushed to emulate the mistake the British made over the same two decades, when they turned all their existing polytechnics into universities.