Vol. 477 No. 6
90 Mr. J. Walsh asked the Minister for Education if she will give details of a recent announcement regarding the establishment of an outreach centre at Cork Regional Technical College at Skibbereen, County Cork; if she will give details of the model proposed; and the allocation, if any, which has been made in the 1997 Estimates to fund this project. [10164/97]
The Government requested the Higher Education Authority (HEA) to undertake a general review of outreach centres of higher education institutions. A technical working group was established by the HEA, chaired by Professor Noel Mulcahy.
The technical working group has made a draft interim report to the Higher Education Authority which proposes a model for outreach centres of education based on a mixed mode approach involving a range of levels of provision, to include a balanced provision of higher education, post leaving certificate courses and adult education.
Additional work needs to be undertaken by the technical working group as the basis for a detailed review by the HEA. However, the Higher Education Authority considered the model proposed by the technical working group to be sufficiently worthwhile and innovative to merit a pilot project. It recommended that Skibbereen would be the location for this. A strong co-ordinated local involvement, including local financial support for the provision of facilities, was seen by the technical working group as critical to the success of the venture. The Higher Education Authority envisages a focus on the telematic dimension of course delivery in the pilot project.
Funding for the project will be determined in the light of detailed consideration of the implementation arrangements and specific proposals from Cork regional technical college.
