Ireland 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.
Full Time Student Enrolments:
2010/11
|
2011/12*
|
161,647
|
162,786
|
*provisional enrolment figures
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.