Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Having spent almost 16 years as a director of adult education, I know second-chance education is important. In this case, it is about the accreditation, the monitoring and type of establishment providing language education. Senator Reilly alluded to some of the issues we have had and there has been one particular court case.

There is a need to protect the students and those who work in these establishments. We have all met students from abroad who have spent thousands of euro to learn English here only to discover it is not what it says on the tin and the parchment they receive is not worth anything. That does reputational damage to the country.

As Cork is twined with Shanghai, we have many Chinese students coming into the city. It is important we have oversight of these schools and that the qualifications offered to international students are of the highest calibre. I know the Minister of State has been concerned about this issue. There is a need for control and management of the schools in question. The framework contained in the Bill is important and I thank the Minister of State for ending this lacuna. There are many educational establishments doing Trojan work but whose reputations are being badly damaged by a small group.