Eileen Flynn (Independent) | Oireachtas source

As always, both in the education committee and in this House, I am privileged to be before such a passionate Minister when it comes to higher education, and I mean that. I welcome all attempts to modernise the higher education sector and I hope we will be able to do that in this Bill. However, Senators Ruane and Higgins and I will be proposing a number of amendments to the Bill to address the serious concerns the Civil Engagement Group has. The Higher Education Authority Act is 50 years old and society and education have changed a great deal in that time, so it is time to take the necessary steps to evolve our education system too.

I welcome every opportunity to advance equality, diversity and inclusion in our education system. There is a clear lack of those in the higher education system and I support the Bill's attempt to address that. I am glad that the Bill proposes proper accountability for the funding given to institutions as we must ensure that funding is used wisely and fairly. I am also glad that the Bill proposes a clear commitment to better engage with students, but I question why it only allows for three students on university governing bodies. We should be actively listening to student representatives to address students' needs properly. I strongly believe that more than three students should be on the university governing bodies.

As a member of the education committee, I took part in the pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bill and I am very disappointed that the Government decided against the recommendation to include specific reference to a universal design. We must ensure that all education environments are designed to be made accessible to all people regardless of their age, disability and background. Including universal design in the legislation is the only way to do this and ensure that it happens.

I am glad the promotion of North-South co-operation, as recommended by the committee, has been included in section 9 of the Bill. Living in a Border county, I know how important student mobility is, as is collaboration with the higher education authorities in Northern Ireland. I am also glad that the Bill includes the committee's recommendation to ensure meaningful representation of traditionally under-represented social groups in higher education. We must ensure equal access and representation for all in our higher education institutions. We also must make sure that everyone has an equal opportunity to be successful in those institutions. It is great to see the limit of seven on the academic council is removed. At the same time, I am disappointed that the legislation is not fair to all higher education institutions in the country. Despite the fact that we are introducing legislation to reform all institutions, it appears as though one institution secured a key exemption from the proposed reforms. It has been stated that Trinity College Dublin will be the only university permitted to retain a majority of the internal board and will have 22 members on its governing body, while other universities will have 17 members. It is very unfair to treat institutions differently. If we really want to move forward and modernise the education system in this country, we must do it together and do it fairly.

I understand the concerns regarding the independence of universities and I agree with the importance of promoting student representation. However, the changes should be uniformly applied to all 24 institutions addressed in the legislation. We cannot introduce legislation that does not treat all the institutions equally. I urge the Government to consider this. We must ensure independence within governing bodies and I would be wary of increased Government control within these bodies. We need assurance from the Minister that this will not affect the independence of the governing bodies of our educational institutions.

I join USI in expressing concerns about the reference to value for money. We must ensure that the conversation does not move towards one of further marketisation of higher education.

Again, our group will have a lot of amendments to add to the Bill and as the Civil Engagement Group engages with people, it is to be hoped we will be listened to.