Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 13 Oct 1994

Vol. 445 No. 8

Written Answers. - Higher Education Comparative Costs.

Batt O'Keeffe

Ceist:

73 Mr. B. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Education the plans, if any, she has to carry out a unit cost comparison between universities, institutes of technology and regional colleges of the operation of third level education. [251/94]

Minister for Education (Ms Bhreathnach)

The Higher Education Authority has instituted a unit cost project in the university sector. The process is being refined over time. It is being used at present to inform funding decisions by the authority as well as by university management.

As yet, a unit cost exercise has not been carried out in the institutes of technology or the regional technical colleges. I consider that any such exercise should wait until the process in the universities has been sufficiently developed, refined and evaluated. However, a cost effectiveness measure — teaching hours per annum per student — is being widely used within the Dublin Institute of Technology/RTC sector and by my Department to assist in the management process.

The two sectors within higher education have a common concern to provide the highest quality education for the students. They endeavour to act as catalysts of social and economic development in their regions and nationally. Both sectors seek to realise these aims through complementary but different programmes of teaching and research. Any valid unit cost comparison would necessarily have to take into account the complementary but different roles of the two sectors.