asked the Minister for Education if she will elaborate on the proposal in the Green Paper "Partners in Education" on the granting of more operational autonomy to regional technical colleges.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Regional Technical Colleges.
5.
Under existing arrangements, the regional technical colleges are run by boards of management which are sub-committees of the local vocational education committees. Under the terms of the Vocational Education Act, 1930, the acts of such sub-committees are subject to confirmation by the VEC unless the VEC decides otherwise with the consent of the Minister. On the other hand, there is a strong body of opinion which suggests that each RTC should be an autonomous institution in the same way as, for example, the National Institutes for Higher Education. The future position of the RTCs was considered by my Department within these parameters. The proposals in the Green Paper suggest a compromise between those positions, namely, that in future boards of management would be sub-committees of the LECs or VECs but would not be bound by the necessity of having their decisions confirmed by the parent body.
Under such an arrangement the boards of the RTCs would have control over the administration of their own colleges and would be responsible for the recruitment and appointment of staff. I would see this arrangement as being consistent with the nature of the RTC as substantial educational institutions in their own right but which have a special responsibility to respond to local and regional educational, training and economic development requirements. On the other hand, the RTCs have been developed by and have strong historical links with the VEC system and, for that reason, it has been suggested that they should continue to be funded through the VEC/LEC system, so as to maintain those links with their roots to which I have just referred.
I am not satisfied as to the clear distinction between full autonomy which is one way in which the problem might be solved or a fuller operational autonomy which could happen to an RTC under the proposed LEC system or under the VEC if that system were to remain. First, how does the Minister envisage membership of the changed board of management of an RTC? Secondly, is this the reason the Minister's Department announced a 20 per cent rise in student fees? Is this what is meant by operational autonomy for RTCs, or am I premature in seeing a clear link between operational autonomy and massive rises in RTC fees, as announced yesterday by the Minister of State at the Department of Education? Is the Minister serious in saying this is to bring the fees for RTCs into line with university fees when one cannot compare the facilities in a university and the facilities in an RTC?
The proposed board of management of an RTC will consist of a chairman, principal and 20 members as follows: five members nominated by the appropriate LEC; one member nominated by each of the LECs, if any, in the RTC catchment area; two academic staff; one non-academic staff, two students; one nominee of the Minister for Labour and six appointed by the Minister. In the Green Paper we point out that the Minister would have regard to the extent to which industry, commerce, the professions and the trade unions should be represented. The second part of the Deputy's question concerned fees. This does not concern the matters in the Green Paper.
The Minister set out the composition of the proposed boards of management. If the Minister is to nominate six people on a board of 20 that appears to be a strange form of democracy. Quite rightly this proposal will be viewed with suspicion by all the representatives concerned and the public generally. Up to now RTCs have been regarded as most democratic in their composition and in the running of their affairs——
That is a speech.
Yes it is. If this is a foretaste of what is to come with regard to the boards of management, the LECs are in for a rough ride. Does the Minister agree it is democratic that she should personally appoint six people out of a board of 20?
Yes.
Then the Minister has different ideas than I have.