asked the Minister for Education if he will state in respect of the board of management of the proposed regional technical colleges (a) the total membership and (b) the organisations entitled to put forward nominations for the board.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Regional Technical Colleges.
108.
While the matter has not yet been finally determined it has been proposed that for each College there should be a College Council to be constituted as follows:
|
Number of Nominees |
Nominated by |
|
1 |
Each Vocational Education Committee represented in the College region. |
|
2 |
Federated Union of Employers. |
|
2 |
Irish Congress of Trade Unions. |
|
2 |
Vocational Teachers' Association. |
|
2 |
Department of Education. |
|
1 |
Bishop of Diocese in which College is situated. |
|
3 |
Minister for Education. |
It has also been proposed that for each College there should be a five-member Board of Management comprising one member from each of the following Bodies:
Irish Vocational Education Association.
Chief Executive Officers' Association.
Federated Union of Employers.
Irish Congress of Trade Unions.
Department of Education.
Arising out of the Minister's reply, I asked the Minister for the representation on the Board of Management of these colleges.
These are tentative proposals which we have circulated to each county vocational education committee with a view to getting their views as to whether they approve or not the proposed committees of management. We will take their views and their suggestions and decide what to do. No board of management has been appointed as such.
On 8th August, 1968, a circular letter went out from the Department signed by S. O'Neill informing them what had been done and asking the different vocational education committees to make recommendations to this council. Is the Minister aware that if this goes through the vocational education committees, representing parents, ratepayers and taxpayers, will have no representation on either the board or the council? They are asked to nominate one individual for the council but the suggestion is that normally the individual would be the chief executive officer. Are we to take it that the voluntary representatives who have built up vocational education to what it is today are now to be discarded?
Apart from discarding anybody, what we propose to do will be done by way of consultation. I can assure the Deputy there is no question of any final decision having been reached as to the composition of the council or the board of management. What was furnished to each vocational education committee were tentative proposals as to how this should be organised. The proposals from my Department were purely tentative. We are now getting the views of each vocational education committee. We will consider what they suggest and decide on some form of administration that will be as equitable as possible. I can assure the Deputy and the House that no final decision has been made. The matter is tentative and at the proposal stage at the present time.
Is the Minister aware, or do we need an Oxford Dictionary to interpret the letter for us, that in this letter which was sent to every vocational education committee in Ireland are the following words: "I am to refer to the Government's decision to establish nine regional technical colleges and to say it is now necessary to arrange for the setting up of these colleges". It says "the Government's decision" not the decision of the Department. If the Government have decided it, why do the Department ask for consultation? Is it not because every committee in Ireland have turned this down and that they are not prepared to co-operate unless you give representation to the vocational education committees?
The Government have decided to go ahead with the regional technical colleges. Six colleges are under construction at the present time and further colleges are being designed. We are now seeking to decide on the type of administration and personnel that will supervise these regional colleges and on the bodies that will be represented on these committees.
This question has been debated at length.
I want to ask one last question. Will you give representation on the board and on the council to representatives from the vocational education committees in Ireland?
There was no question about the council. The proposal was that each county would have a representative on the council for the region.
We cannot continue to debate this question all evening.
109.
asked the Minister for Education if he will state (a) who was responsible for issuing invitations to the signing of the contracts at Athlone on Monday, 11th November, 1968, for the regional technical colleges at Athlone and Sligo, (b) the names of persons invited, including public representatives and (c) the date on which invitations were sent out and the time of posting them.
The invitations to the signing of the contracts for the regional technical colleges to be built at Athlone and Sligo were issued by my Department.
In addition to representatives of the press those invited included local clergy, members of the steering committee on technical education, representatives of the vocational education committees and local authorities concerned and representatives of those connected with the designing and planning of the colleges. A list of the names of those invited has not been retained. Some of the invitations were posted on Thursday, 7th November and the remainder on Friday, 8th November. There is no record of the actual time of posting.
I happen to be vice-chairman of the vocational education committee, a public representative for the area and a member of the Westmeath County Council and I did not get an invitation. I am aware that the chairman of the vocational education committee, who is a national teacher, Senator McAuliffe, got an invitation to this function at 11.30 a.m. on Monday, three and a half hours before the function started.
I am sorry for the lack of protocol in regard to late invitations. I was very anxious to get on with the job and to get it going. I think it is very important to have these regional technical colleges established as quickly as possible in order to have this type of education available. If, as a result of my anxiety, there was an oversight in protocol, I regret it.
Why were public representatives left out and other people closely associated with the Minister's Party were there and got their photographs taken?
I am sorry about that.
Is this another Newgrange?