I welcome the Bill. As the House will know, there was a major black spot on the north side of the city in that it did not have an institute of technology. While we are well endowed with DCU, the absence of a regional college of technology severely damaged participation in third level, particularly in working class areas of the north-west of the city. The Blanchardstown Institute of Technology will change that. It is important that the opportunity afforded by the establishment of this institute is seen as an innovative approach to participation in third level education of those who traditionally have not gone on to third level.
Thankfully 60 per cent of the cohort now go on to third level and, if we include PLCs, there is about 80 per cent participation among students who sit the leaving certificate. However, there is still a huge gap to be bridged in that the level of participation is as low as 5 per cent in some communities. There are serious issues to be addressed on the north side of the city in areas such as Darndale, parts of Coolock, Mulhuddart and in many of the newly developing areas.
The Blanchardstown Institute of Technology must not be a replica of the Regional Technical Colleges and institutes of technology that already exist. If we apply the same model, we will have the same outcome. It is disappointing that the Bill does not contain an innovative legislative framework for this institute. It will take on board the same functions, objectives, regulation system and so on as applies to the other institutes. We expected this institute to strike out in a new direction and the Minister to amplify some of the objectives in the existing institute of technology legislation to cater for the new mandate of the Blanchardstown institute.
There is no doubt financial support will have to be addressed in a more innovative way. The Minister and Minister of State have acknowledged that as regards participation by mature students and those from non-traditional backgrounds in third level education, it is not enough to introduce the grants scheme and leave it at that. We must develop programmes of financial, curricular and academic support for students to ensure they get into college and, more importantly, do not drop out after a certain period.
As I said last night, the drop out from college is a black hole about which we know very little. It would be interesting to discover if it is more concentrated among students from disadvantaged backgrounds. I fear it is and it is disappointing that the Minister has not given hard information to enable us analyse the drop out rate which, at 35 per cent, is a serious problem. Too often it is seen as a problem in just financial terms because the State spends £10,000 per year and does not get any "product" at the end of it, but the loss to the students who participated in the full expectation of success and had their hopes dashed is more important. We need to analyse the background to the high level of drop out and use the Blanchardstown institute as a model to ensure those mistakes do not occur again.
I am pleased the Minister recognised the great opportunity afforded by the institute for participating with information technology companies. The arrival of IBM, which is a major company not only in terms of employment but in terms of bringing a campus of activities to that area of the city, opens up the opportunity for a fruitful partnership between the institute and the industry in general. Other colleges, particularly in Tallaght, are to be commended on the more flexible approach they have taken to developing programmes suitable to industry and to students who have job commitments. It is disappointing that the Department's thinking is way behind in many ways. It still refuses to recognise part-time study as being on a par with full-time study. It is crucial that we recognise part-time study as being the way of the future and not allow it to remain the Cinderella of education. If what Ministers say about lifelong learning is to become more than rhetoric, there must be suitable packages to support part-time study.
Colleges have been equally slow to offer more flexible courses. Deputy Higgins would be critical of modularisation and bringing education down from its lofty objectives, but access is crucial. Modular delivery of education which allows people to get recognition for what they do in part-time courses is crucial to giving access. I recognise Deputy Higgins's concern to ensure the broader needs of education are not lost in the process. However, it is crucial that institutes such as Blanchardstown are innovative in developing programmes people can access, using the scope of information technology to foster distance learning where possible. I sound a word of caution about distance learning. The evidence is that it is often disadvantaged students who find it most difficult to participate in distance learning because it presupposes a very high level of familiarity with the support structures of education. The institute must ensure there is a very supportive environment as well as offering the opportunity for distance learning. It is more than just developing programmes and hoping people avail of them. It must develop structures with an element of outreach and support to achieve participation.
There is pressure regarding the need to encourage a high level of participation and achieve quality outcomes. For example, a college in the Thames Valley in the UK was a flagship in terms of the achievement of much wider participation in disadvantaged communities. It was seen as an innovative college in that regard, but it has recently run into difficulties and I understand the board has been threatened with dismissal because the college is not achieving certain academic and quality standards. It will take careful management in terms of ensuring the maintenance of the highest standards while at the same time achieving wide access and participation. They are by no means in conflict; they can be achieved together, but a conscious decision must be made at the outset that both will be run in tandem.
This relates to the issue of resourcing. There is nothing in the Minister's speech or in the Bill to suggest that innovative funding mechanisms will exist for the new institute in Blanchardstown. It appears the institute is being asked to pour its new wine into the same old skins which the Department offers to all institutes of technology. There is a need for innovative thinking from the Department regarding its funding mechanisms and I am interested to hear the Minister's views on that aspect because his speech was remarkably light in terms of concrete evidence of new policy support mechanisms from the Department for the new institute. He used rhetoric regarding what he wants it to do, but there will be a need for a partnership which will involve resourcing between the Department and the Minister and the authorities of the new college. It is important not to pass the legislation in the expectation that the new institute can be run identically to all the other institutes of technology if it has to take on a more challenging role.
I welcome the establishment of the Institute of Technology, Blanchardstown. In constituency terms, I would have preferred it to be located further east where it might have been of greater benefit to people in my area. This issue was much fought over in the past and many people advocated Finglas as a more suitable location. However, those debates are long over and the introduction of the Bill is welcome.
I raised the issue of the participation of parents and teachers in vocational education committees. The Bill provides for a change in the mechanisms of appointment in respect of the vocational education committees in the South Dublin, Fingal and Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council areas. It is extraordinary the Minister did not use the Bill to ensure that parents and teachers are represented from the outset on the new vocational education committees which will be formed soon, following the election of the new county councils. I ask the Minister to outline the agreements he has entered into with the different councils and the appointing bodies for the vocational education committees to ensure that parents and teachers will be represented from the outset.
The legislation governing the appointment of such persons to vocational education committees will not be published until later in the year. There is a need to put in place an agreement, if it is not already in place, to ensure reasonable arrangements are made now so parents and teachers can participate from the outset and the appointments made on a pro tem basis will not be in conflict with any subsequent legal requirements the Minister may develop later in the year. This is a good time to ensure that everybody knows what the ground rules will be later in the year and that if parents and teachers are appointed on a pro tem basis, it will not necessitate a rerunning of elections when the Minister publishes the legislation. There must be a reasonable indication of what will be required for selection now and there is a need to ensure that those involved in the selection process on a pro tem basis make the correct arrangements.
I ask the Minister to outline whether all vocational education committees intend to appoint parent and teacher representatives from the outset. Has he received any indication in that regard? It is important that these arrangements are put in place. Section 11 contains a legislative vehicle where, by amendment, a minimalist requirement on a pro tem basis on all vocational education committees can be signalled in terms of how this area should be handled until the full legislation is introduced.
I thank the Minister for introducing the legislation and congratulate those who put such enormous effort into getting the project to this stage. They are recruiting rapidly and are very much involved in the difficult process of getting a college off the ground. I express the appreciation of this side of the House for the efforts which are being made to make the project a reality. The college will open up new avenues for many people who did not have such opportunities in the past. It will forge productive alliances with industry and the community in ensuring that education becomes a lifelong learning experience for an increasing number of people.
However, I would like more of the footprints of the Minister of State on the Bill in terms of his adult education remit. It appears the legislation is drawn from the word processor of the Department of Education and Science dating back many years and it reflects no new thinking on the part of the Minister of State or others involved in those areas.