asked the Minister for Education if he will give details of the courses designed and recommended by the planning board of the proposed Limerick Third Level Institute; and the grounds on which the Higher Education Authority rejected the courses as being unsuitable.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Limerick Institute Courses.
34.
Mr. O'Donnell
The academic programme proposed by the planning board of the Limerick Institute of Higher Education on the basis of a commencement of the institute's activities in September, 1971, envisaged the provision of the following courses of study:
(a) diploma and degree courses in mathematics and computing;
(b) diploma and degree courses in secretarial science; and
(c) diploma and degree courses in European business.
The establishment of the institute was authorised in the first instance on the clear understanding that it would primarily be a technologically orientated institute, while at the same time catering for a significant element of the humanities.
The programme proposed by the planning board was not considered to be a suitable one on which to base the institute's operations, primarily because it was not sufficiently technological in content and because, without laboratories and workshops, it could not possibly conform to the basis on which the establishment of the institute was originally authorised.
Mr. O'Donnell
Is it not a fact that, after the planning board had proceeded to design the courses in accordance with an agreement reached in April, 1969, with the Minister's predecessor, an agreement to which the planning board religiously adhered, the Higher Education Authority shot down these courses for the sole purpose of deferring the opening of the institute? In other words, it was this idea of the courses being unsuitable on technological grounds or that the technological content was not adequate that was the excuse to prevent the opening of the institute.
We have already had a long discussion on this. That is not so. The conditions under which courses were to be framed were clear. I have read them out here already and the Higher Education Authority was not satisfied that the courses suggested had sufficient technological content. It had nothing whatever to do with finance.
Had the planning board been requested to submit academic programmes for the year 1972-73?
Yes, I think the Department requested them to send proposals for courses with a suitable technological content.
That is a prompted question.
(Interruptions.)
The Deputy would not do anything like that.
Deputy Burke cannot say anything to me.
(Interruptions.)