Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 October 2012
276. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of third level places available at third level institutions in each of the past two years to date; the extent to which this meets the requirements for third level places; his intentions if any to make provisions for an increased number of places; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43381/12]
View answerIreland currently performs very strongly in terms of participation in higher education and has the highest tertiary attainment rate among 25-34 year olds in the European Union. The number of full-time enrolments is shown in the following table.
Projections published by my Department in June of this year on www.education.ie show that the demand for higher education in Ireland is set to grow by 16% by 2020. While welcome, the scale of projected growth will present major challenges for Ireland's higher education system in ensuring that student numbers can be accommodated in a sustainable way that does not compromise high quality outcomes. The National Strategy for Higher Education makes a number of recommendations for system development, flexibility, efficiency and change aimed at supporting sustainable growth while protecting quality. Implementation of strategy recommendations is underway and a progress report is available on www.education.ie.
Full-Time Student Enrolments
|
2010/11 |
2011/12* |
|
161,647 |
162,786 |
*provisional enrolment figures
