Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Leader of the House, in absentia, for facilitating this debate on foot of a request I made last Wednesday when we had a motion on this topic before the House that was to be taken without debate. That followed a rather short and truncated debate at the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education, Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science some weeks ago. It is important that Seanadóirí discuss these issues as they progress. The motion before us last week was on the establishment of the Munster Technological University and the merger of IT Tralee and Cork IT. I welcome that development, as does everyone here, since it will strengthen the quality of education provided by those bodies, and I do not to detract from the good work already being done. It will enhance the opportunities of those who attend those campuses. A critical mass is being created in the merger of these institutes of technology in becoming a technological university. There is also the question of increased financial stability for the entities involved.

I am on leave from what is now TU Dublin, the largest university in the State based on numbers of students. I am very pleased to see matters progressing on all fronts. The merger of Athlone and Limerick institutes of technology is well advanced, and GMIT, IT Sligo and Letterkenny IT are also set to merge. I believe that a formal application was expected there before the end of the year. The proposals for a south-eastern technological university has been somewhat more sluggish, as other speakers have referred to. I understand that an application is due there by April 2021. These mergers cannot be just about a new name, new logos and letterheads, and websites, like the intermittent merger of Government Departments or the merger of the health boards into the HSE some time ago. There needs to be a culture change that allows the newly merged bodies to do the best they can to achieve the educational needs of young people in their region, while in turn acting as conduits for investment from at home and abroad into those regions.

Significant concerns existed about the financial position of IT Tralee, arising from a study conducted by the Higher Education Authority, HEA, almost two years ago.Perhaps the Minister might update us. Significant problems remain in the technological university or institutes of technology sector. The simple merging of institutions will not necessarily solve them. I have flagged here a number of times the alarming drop-out rates in our institutes of technology. According to the HEA, it is an incredible 33% and rises to much higher levels in certain sectors such as computing and IT. Those figures should prompt hard questions.

I wonder whether the abolition of third level fees in the mid-1990s eroded the sense of value placed on third level education as a resource. Are we failing young people? Are many people going to third level due to societal pressure? Should they choose another route that better suits their needs and ambitions? Are we also failing the taxpayer by forcing everybody into the same model to pursue? Significant resources are perhaps being spent on sending some people to college who really do not want to be there or whose opportunities might lie elsewhere. We need continued focus and investment. Yes, in higher education to be sure but also in apprenticeships and skills-based jobs more generally given the serious and acute shortage of skills in many areas.

I wish to mention one thing about the name of the new institution being established. I received correspondence from Mary Fitzgibbon who is a lecturer in nursing in the Institute of Technology in Tralee. She was concerned, as I think others there were, about the proposed name starting with "Munster". I know very well about the Technological University Dublin and a senior academic in Blanchardstown who reminded me that the proper name matters. A great deal of effort goes into the branding of these new institutions. My correspondent was worried that some people would think the acronym for the institute sounds like empty. Sadly, universities have been empty this year and will continue to be. There is also the potential confusion with Münster in Germany and Munster rugby. There is the fact that two of the institutes of technology in the province of Munster are going into alliances with institutes of technology from other areas entirely. I presume that the Minister will say, if he sees fit to answer, that this ship has sailed. Certainly, correspondence with the former Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills, Mary Mitchell O'Connor, in May 2019, pointed up the fact that this is a matter for the relevant institutes upon successful designation as a technological university under the Act. I do wonder whether there has been sufficient consultation with all of the stakeholders in all cases about the names to be given to these new designated institutions.

In the time remaining I might mention that the Minister recently issued a statement on sexual harassment and the bullying of staff and students in higher education institutions. That is a very important topic to which we need to return.

In conclusion, I must say the following to any Minister with the responsibility for higher education. The sickly sweet term of "blended learning" is non-existent in reality as students are increasingly frustrated about the fact that there is no college experience as so much is online. They want to see that reflected in reduced fees, which is another topic to which we must return.