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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 10 Apr 2003

Vol. 565 No. 2

Written Answers. - Union of Students in Ireland.

Joan Burton

Question:

49 Ms Burton asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will make a statement on his recent address to the annual conference of the Union of Students in Ireland. [10188/03]

On 27 March 2003 I addressed the annual congress of the Union of Students in Ireland. Among the issues highlighted during my address were: the overwhelming case for attracting more adult learners into higher education and for further strengthening the links between work and education; the policy priority attaching to equitable access to higher education. In particular, I outlined that if we want to break cycles of disadvantage, open up opportunity and optimise our broader economic and social potential, we have to broaden participation in our third level institutions – support has to be targeted at those most in need and it has to be at a level that really supports those students in third level; in this context, I outlined recent investment in third level access programmes, which had risen to a level of approximately €24 million in 2002 from a base of €508,000 when this Government took Office in 1997. This has enabled the implementation of many of the key recommendations of the report of the Action Group on Access to Third Level Education to be set in train, including the establishment of the National Office for Equity of Access to Higher Education this year; I raised the issue of how overall funding for student supports, including free fees, can best be used in the context of addressing access issues. In 2002 free fees cost €240 million while total spending on all types of student supports was €382 million – this funding has to be targeted in a manner that achieves maximum impact from the point of view of value for money and equity of access to third level education; I referred to some of the broader issues that need to be addressed in the strategic development of higher education to ensure that it can meet the broad social and economic challenges that we face – in particular, I referred to the need for continuing support for investment in our research infrastructure in the context of the development of the knowledge economy; the need to promote excellence in teaching in the third level sector and the need for ongoing dialogue, debate and interaction at all levels to ensure the continuing responsiveness of the higher education sector to the broader needs of our dynamic economy and society.

The full text of my address to the congress is available on my Department's website.

Question No. 50 answered with Question No. 11.

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