Seanad debates

Monday, 8 February 2021

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business

 

10:30 am

Photo of Annie HoeyAnnie Hoey (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I rise to raise an issue of serious concern for students across the further and higher education sector regarding their placement requirements and their inability to fulfil their obligations in that regard due to Covid. A number of courses have a required placement as part of their professional qualification in order for students to proceed through their degree.

I have been contacted by social care students, who for the second academic year in a row are not able to complete their placements. If they do not complete them, they cannot progress to the next stage of their degree. At least a couple of students to whom I have spoken have been advised by their colleges that if they do not complete their placements, they must work their placement hours over the summer, which as we know is not feasible for many who need to earn a wage during the summer months. If they do not do that, then they must repeat the year, which will cost them money and time.

These students cannot be expected to bear the brunt of costs associated with those repeats. The Minister must liaise with the relevant bodies and advocate for students in colleges and with qualification bodies. He also needs to reassure students that they will not be financially responsible for the cost of repeats, if that is genuinely where we are at come the end of the academic year. Social care students are not alone in this dilemma. The issue also applies to students working in healthcare settings. As always, the first cohort I am concerned about are student nurses and midwives. Placements have been cancelled again and there is concern about what will happen if they have to make up the time. I accept it has not affected their degree thus far, but it may begin to do so.

I was in Beaumont Hospital on Friday and I spoke to a healthcare assistant who is a student nurse. She is working in the hospital as a healthcare assistant but she is not allowed to go there on her placement. She said it is madness, given that she is working there anyway. SIPTU has called for an emergency meeting with the Minister over clinical placements for student radiographers who are working through the pandemic. The union has stated it is scandalous that up to 400 student radiographers that are making an essential contribution on the front line are not being recognised for their work.

I am sure the Ministers are sick and tired of me calling for students working in healthcare settings to be paid, but I will continue to raise it until I get a satisfactory answer from the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, and the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Harris. When are we going to recognise student nurses, radiographers, healthcare assistants and students completing vital work in the healthcare system? What are we going to do for the students who may face repeat fees in order to repeat their student placements?

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