Seanad debates

Wednesday, 31 January 2018

Technological Universities Bill 2015: Second Stage (Resumed)

 

10:30 am

Photo of Alice-Mary HigginsAlice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will skip ahead to all of the areas of concern around the Bill. I have discussed with the Minister of State and others the amendments that I will probably table. First, a students' union needs to be recognised as a students' union and to include "other student representative body" is not adequate or acceptable and this cannot be allowed go through. Any of us who have worked in a union know of false unions. Will this be a representative sample? Will the university just pick three people from each year? We need to be very clear about student union representation and the situation needs to be clarified.

The Minister of State mentioned student representation on the academic council, which I welcome, but this needs to be provided for in the Bill. If we are talking about a community of learning, it needs to be clear that student voices are to be heard on the council. A key concern of ours at the moment-----

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