Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 21 July 2016
197. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the present situation with English language colleges in Dublin; the way they are regulated and audited; the number that ceased trading in the period from 2010 to 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23785/16]
View answerThe period 2010 to 2016 saw the closure of 16 English language providers nationally.
In line with the Government decision of 19 May 2015, a series of reforms to the student immigration system for international education are being implemented.
These reforms, which are being implemented by the Department of Justice and Equality in conjunction with my Department, include the restriction of the list of education programmes considered to justify the granting of permission to students to live and work in Ireland (known as the Interim List of Eligible Programmes – the ILEP).
As part of this new process all providers of English language training wishing to recruit non-EEA students are required to apply to the Department of Justice and Equality for inclusion on the ILEP. All English language providers seeking inclusion on the ILEP have to comply with certain new requirements including declaration of ownership, physical infrastructure, teacher qualifications, attendance rates, compulsory exam registration policies and maximum class size. They also need to have compulsory learner protection arrangements in place and a separate account facility to safeguard student advance payments. The first full iteration of the ILEP was published by the Department of Justice and Equality on 20th January 2016. The ILEP is updated at regular intervals by that Department.
For all providers, their listing on the ILEP is contingent on their ongoing compliance with immigration rules and continuing to meet the other conditions required. Providers will be subject to unannounced inspections, spot checks and other monitoring of compliance.
The implementation of these reforms will help to improve the overall quality of Ireland's offering to international students, promote protection for learners and enhance Ireland's reputation, strongly in line with the goals of Ireland's international education strategy.
The ILEP process is an interim measure until the introduction of the International Education Mark (IEM) for the provision of education to international learners, which will provide a full quality framework in the future. The measures necessary to facilitate the introduction of the IEM are being progressed by my Department.
