Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 20 May 2021
107. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the work he is undertaking with third-level institutions to ensure the full return to campus of students for the academic year 2021-2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26712/21]
View answer127. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his plans to ensure third-level students can return fully to in-person learning and experiences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25561/21]
View answer131. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the measures in place or planned to provide an enhanced campus experience for third-level students for the 2021-2022 academic year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26968/21]
View answer143. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his plans are for a return to campus for third-level education for the 2021-2022 academic year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26124/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 107, 127, 131 and 143 together.
The Government has committed to a significant increase in onsite attendance in the tertiary education sector in the next academic year. The Department has established a Working Group to achieve this commitment. This group is comprised of all the key stakeholders and it has begun to develop a plan for returning to significant levels of onsite tertiary education in the autumn. The working group will work closely with the relevant sectoral stakeholder groups and will work at pace to develop the plan and report to the Minister in May. The Minister intends to publish a plan in June for an enhanced campus experience for further and higher education.
The plan will continue to prioritise public health and safety and will be capable of responding to ongoing changes in public health, including the level of vaccination achieved and future national public health advice. In seeking to secure a position that can ensure an expansion of onsite activities upon returning in autumn 2021, the Department will engage with the Department of Health to seek sector specific advice.
There are two key enablers to the return to onsite attendance:
- the benefits that will flow from progress in the vaccination of the population and the impact of this on COVID 19 measures;
- Government support through public investment to ensure that the onsite settings are safe.
The purpose of the Plan will be to:
- Enable maximum onsite provision of teaching, learning, research and other onsite activities
- To support the ongoing public health requirements
- To support the ongoing needs of students, learners and researchers
- To retain some scope for online teaching and learning where it will be required
- To ensure coherence and consistency in planning and the implementation of public health guidance across the sector
- To support autonomy in the work of institutions and providers in the development of their plans
- To enable a significant resumption of disrupted research activity and return of researchers to campus.
- To enable a phased return for learning for the summer period
The plan will build on the plan which was developed for the academic year 2020/21 incorporating the experience of 2020/21. It will retain the approach of a discretionary framework for institutions to prioritise onsite attendance and enabling phased increases leading to greater levels of onsite provision and the continuation of adaptive responses should circumstance change during the year.
The new plan will continue to prioritise public health and safety and respond to ongoing changes in public health, including the level of vaccination achieved and national public health advice.
The intention of Government is to strengthen the prevention and intervention measures around COVID-19 in response to the changing context including surveillance, track and trace, and potential use of new technology.
In seeking to clarify the context for returning in 2021, the Department will engage with the Department of Health to seek sector specific advice.
