Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 148: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills her plans to create technological universities; the way these plans will be progressed and implemented; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2748/11]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The new National Strategy for Higher Education which I published last week has been endorsed by the Government as the basis for the development of the higher education sector over the next two decades. The new Strategy affirms the importance of having institutions with a diversity of missions and provides a clear pathway of evolution for Institutes of Technology, which includes the potential to amalgamate on a regional basis and to seek re-designation as Technological Universities, on the basis of defined performance criteria. Such criteria will be robust and will be based on the strong foundation of the existing Institute of Technology mission.

International expertise has been engaged to assist in finalising these criteria and I expect to be in a position to publish them later this Spring. My officials and the HEA will also be available to engage in direct discussions with individual institutions on their future strategic intentions in terms of regional cluster formations, and where appropriate alliances or mergers. The implementation of all the recommendations in the Strategy, including the preparation of formal legislative proposals, will be overseen by an Implementation Board to be chaired by the Secretary General of my Department.

Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 149: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills if she will outline any systems in place in her Department to capture feedback from students in third level education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2750/11]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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Best practice quality assurance processes involve the capturing of student feedback and complying with quality assurance procedures are the responsibility of the higher education institutions in the first instance. A range of student feedback arrangements are in place across higher education institutions. At a policy level, my Department has regular engagement with the Union of Students in Ireland.

The new national Strategy for Higher Education which I launched last week focusses on key performance areas of the higher education system and outlines a framework to analyse and improve the quality outcomes of the system. Of vital importance is the quality of the student experience and in this regard, the Strategy recommends that a national student survey system should be put in place and the results published. The Strategy further recommends that higher education institutions put in place a comprehensive student feedback system coupled with structures to ensure that action is taken promptly in response to student concerns.

Implementation of the recommendations in the Strategy will be overseen by an Implementation Board to be chaired by the Secretary of my Department. It is hoped to make early progress on the national student survey system and the HEA have been asked to begin assessing the scope and nature of such a survey.

Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 150: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills the specific systems in place to ensure that all teaching staff in the third level sector are qualified and competent; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2751/11]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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A key recommendation in the new Strategy for Higher Education which I published last week is that higher education institutions should ensure that all teaching staff in the third level sector are qualified and competent. It is acknowledged that while significant advances in teaching and learning in our higher education institutions have been seen in the past number of years, it is important that best practice in this area becomes standard practice across the system.

Internationally there is also increased recognition of the need for higher education academics to meet similar standards and the European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance offer clear direction in this regard. The implementation of the recommendations in the Strategy will require strong partnership and as employers, the higher education institutions themselves will have responsibility for implementation of the recommendation regarding teaching qualifications. Implementation of the recommendations in the Strategy will be overseen by an Implementation Board to be chaired by the Secretary General of my Department.