Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 July 2021
1284. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his plans for successful transition and increased sports participation and physical activity amongst third-level students; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40428/21]
View answerThe Government has committed to planning for a significant increase in onsite attendance in the tertiary education sector in the next academic year.
Following intensive consultation with sectoral stakeholders and Government approval, I published A Safe Return: Plan for a safe return to on-site Further and Higher Education and Research in 2021/22.
The Plan reflects the essential nature of higher and further education and training, and research activities, and in that context provides for comprehensive on-site activity for the next academic year, with almost full scale on-site activities. Institutions and providers in the sector have committed to ensuring that all learners across all areas have significant scheduled on-site learning in the forthcoming year.
The protection of and support for students and learners is one of the central tenets of the Plan whose purpose, among others, is to enable maximum onsite provision of onsite activities, support the ongoing public health requirements, and support the ongoing needs of students and learners
Institutions and providers are currently progressing with their own detailed planning and work for a comprehensive return to on-site activity. This will include planning for orientation, re-orientation and transitions programmes to assist students in familiarising or re-familiarising themselves with the on-site environment and learning resources. Issues around supports for students returning to campus, and the need for resources to support these students, have been discussed by the Student and Learning Wellbeing and Engagement Working Group.
In June, together with my colleague the Minister for Health, I launched the Healthy Campus Charter and Framework, which was developed in partnership with the higher education institutions, the HSE and Healthy Ireland. This National Healthy Campus Framework will help higher education institutions across Ireland to embed health and wellbeing into campus life for staff and students, and this will include a range of opportunities to keep physically active. The Framework offers guidelines to third level institutions to build on existing wellbeing actions, and will assist with the integration of health and wellbeing into decisions surrounding teaching and learning. It will also assist in identifying opportunities in the college environment, whether social or academic, that can help foster an ethos of care, compassion and inclusion on campuses.
The Framework will be supported with seed funding for each of the institutions that commit to implementing the Healthy Campus Charter and funding of a national co-ordinator for 3 years. My department will be represented on an advisory group that will be established to oversee progress in implementation of the Framework.
