I thank you, a Chathaoirligh, for having given me permission to raise this matter. I thank the Minister for having come into the House to listen, and hopefully, to respond positively to the points I will be making.
The problem I have been given permission to raise is a very serious one. It affects the lives and future career prospects of a number of very talented young people. These young people are students in the education faculty of the National College of Art and Design. I shall be dealing in particular with the position of 12 first year students in this faculty.
These 12 students were selected and enrolled for a course, which it now transpires the college is not and never was in a position to provide. In March of this year the National College of Art and Design advertised nationally a four year, full-time degree course in art and design education. The advertisement, a copy of which I have here, went on to state:
This course is designed to equip students for a teaching career at second level. It leads to a B.A. degree in Art and Design education. Applicants for this course must be motivated towards a teaching career. They will require 2 C Grades or better in higher level Leaving Certificate papers, one of which demonstrates a high level of literacy and a minimum of 4 other subjects at D or better in ordinary level papers, one of which should demonstrate numeracy. Knowledge of Irish language is desirable. Except in exceptional circumstances a Pass Leaving Certificate Art or its equivalent is necessary.
The advertisement also stated that the closing date for receipt of completed application forms was Friday 12 April 1985 and that interviews would be held in May. Clearly, that advertisement implies that the course was approved by the National Council for Educational Awards for BA degree purposes and that it was a course recognised by the Department of Education for the training of teachers of Art.
Interviews and assessments took place. At the beginning of June, the successful candidates were offered places in the course subject to the condition that they satisfied the academic criteria as outlined in the advertisement. In the case of those students who are sitting for the leaving certificate in 1985, the offer of a place in the course was conditional on the required grades being obtained in the leaving certificate.
In due course, the students who had been allocated places and who satisfied the academic criteria were sent particulars of the fees for the course, the latest date for payment of same, the date of registration and the date on which the course was due to commence. Students who wished to accept the places offered to them in the course paid their fees and registered on the specified day, 30 September. This was the date on which the course was due to commence.
The 12 students involved were ten days in the college before they learned officially that the course for which they had applied and were accepted did not exist. It would appear that what they are now being offered is a four year course leading to a college diploma. The parents of the students were not informed officially of the situation until last Friday by which time the students had completed four weeks at the college.
On Friday last, a meeting was held in the college to which the parents of the students were invited. In the invitation that was issued it was stated that the purpose of the meeting was to keep parents fully informed regarding the present situation and future plans. The parents were met by a six member committee described as a core group in education. In reply to a question at the meeting, it was stated that this core group had been established by the board to deal with the situation that had arisen.
At the meeting on Friday it was conceded that the college is not, and never was in a position to provide the course which was advertised, and which I might point out was also included in the 1985-86 prospectus of the college. Yet, during all the weeks and months that elapsed between the time the course was advertised and the date on which the students were enrolled, no effort was made by the college to communicate with the students concerned or their parents or to apprise them of the factual situation in relation to this course.
In my view, the advertisement which appeared was a gross and a blatant misrepresentation. I would go so far as to say that the failure of the college to do anything to correct this misrepresentation was nothing short of criminal. I say to the Minister that there is a moral and legal obligation on the board of the National College of Art and Design to provide the course for which these students applied in good faith and for which they were accepted. I have no doubt that once the college accepted the course fees from these students, a legally binding contract was entered into.
I should point out at this stage that this was also the unanimous view of the parents who attended Friday's meeting. This was the message that was conveyed in no uncertain terms to the core group. Furthermore, the parents have also demanded that two parent representatives be co-opted to this group. In this regard, I would strongly urge the Minister to indicate to the board that this request should be met. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the board, in view of the legal implications of its actions to date, would be very unwise not to accede to this request.
As regards the provision of the course which was advertised, the impression was given at the meeting that the core group, too, want to see this course provided. However, with no disrespect to the individuals involved and while not in any way doubting their sincerity in this matter, I am convinced that the Minister must intervene at this stage if this is to happen. The Minister may be reluctant to intervene but I would say to her that this is an extraordinary situation and extraordinary problems need extraordinary remedies.
I understand that negotiations in relation to a four year degree course have been going on between the National College of Art and Design and the National Council for Educational Awards since 1979 without any progress being made. The result has been a total collapse of morale in the Faculty of Education in the National College of Art and Design. This has been borne out by the fact that all of the six second year education students have opted this year to transfer to other courses at first year level. In a submission which they made to the core group, these second year students stated:
We wish to point out the fact that we experienced stress and uncertainty over the past 12 months in reference to the course. Had we recognised the situation, there are some among us who would have opted for other university courses or full-time employment.
Our positions is as follows: we have no confidence in the Education Faculty as structured at present and we will not accept a three year diploma course in place of a four year degree course. The other reasons for our not accepting this option are the insecurity of tenure, the high failure rate and the absence of a course document.
In a nutshell, the Education Faculty in the National College of Art and Design is in a mess. It is a shambles. One of the reasons for this is the failure of the board over a long period to appoint a permanent Head of Faculty. It is high time the Minister intervened to sort out this mess.
I am not going to attempt to apportion blame for the situation that has arisen and which I have outlined, as I am not in a position to do so. As I see it, there are four parties involved, namely, the National College of Art and Design, the National Council for Educational Awards and, to a lesser extent, the Department of Education and the Higher Education Authority. It is only through the co-operation of all four that a way out of this impasse can now be found. I believe for that to happen, the Minister must become involved immediately because the position which has arisen in the case of these students has serious legal and financial implications for the National College of Art and Design. In this connection, it is public moneys that are involved.
I would like to suggest to the Minister that she should have immediate discussions with the authority of the National College of Art and Design and the National Council for Educational Awards. She should appoint a mediator to liaise with both bodies. That mediator could be somebody such as the chairman of the Higher Education Authority or the senior art inspector of the Department. The mediator's brief should be to bring about a speedy resolution of all outstanding difficulties in relation to provision of the course which was advertised and for which these students enrolled. All of these students have between three and six honours in the leaving certificate. All of them passed over offers of other courses in other third level colleges. All of them are strongly motivated towards teaching and yet they have all been treated in a most callous, despicable manner. It is unbelievable that a third level educational institution which operates under an Act of the Oireachtas could have acted in this manner.
I am calling on the Minister to tackle this problem now and get it sorted out. I can assure her that it will not go away or disappear until it is resolved. Furthermore, when the issues in relation to the course have been sorted out, there will be a further obligation on the Minister to make certain that the National College of Art and Design will provide a level of instruction and tuition which will ensure that these students will have the same prospects of qualifying as Art teachers as other student teachers have in other teacher training courses in this country. The failure rate in the National College of Art and Design should be no higher than in any other teacher training course in any other third level institution. This will involve the provision of whatever resources are required. There must also be a proper course document and a proper timetable of lectures and tuition. Only in such a situation will morale be restored in the Education Faculty. As I have said, these students have been treated in a most disgraceful, despicable, callous and totally unacceptable fashion. They have been brought into the college under false pretences. They have been subjected to a very great degree of stress and worry. It is no wonder that some of them are totally shattered. The Minister must intervene now to redress the gross injustice that has been perpetrated. This can only be done through the provision for these students of the four year degree course for which they applied and for which they were accepted. I am calling on the Minister to grasp the nettle now. I hope the Minister will not be found wanting.
