Vol. 476 No. 5
175 Ms F. Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Education whether she intends to introduce a bonding scheme for private third level colleges in view of the closure of the Advanced College of Technology, Merrion Square, Dublin 2. [7623/97]
In relation to the regulation of private third level colleges, the White Paper, Charting our Education Future, provides that such colleges, which run courses which receive State certification, will be subject to new control regulations. These regulations will be introduced in order to guarantee the academic integrity and quality of the courses and qualifications on offer, prescribe institutional norms and to protect the financial investment of students and their parents. The White Paper provides that the new regulations will be the responsibility of TEASTAS — the Irish National Certification Authority.
My Department has commenced discussions with TEASTAS about the system of approval for institutions seeking State certification. These discussions will also encompass issues in relation to financial and academic bonding. Furthermore, a number of NCEA designated private colleges represented by the Higher Education Colleges Association are further developing proposals for academic and financial bonding for consideration in the context of decisions about the future certification framework.
