Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 6 Mar 2001

Vol. 532 No. 1

Adjournment Debate. - Third Level Courses.

Mr. Creed:

In the Citywide News published on 27 February it was reported that the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Woods, stated that “Linguistic and cultural diversity present real opportunity” at the launch of the European Year of Languages. The information I am about to impart to the House in respect of courses offered at Tallaght Institute of Technology brings into sharp focus the Minister's assertion on that date.

For the past ten years the Institute of Technology in Tallaght has offered a very appealing language and marketing course which has attracted a large number of students to attend the institute. There is a high placement rate among graduates of this course, which offers a sequential progression from certificate to diploma to degree level. It is now proposed, for reasons which are unclear, to withdraw, from students already enrolled at the college, the option of pursuing a degree in marketing and languages and to replace this with a single marketing course where the language element has been so emasculated as to significantly reduce the value of the qualification and, accordingly, the employment prospects, on graduation, of the students involved.

A number of questions arise from these proposed changes, which the college authorities and the Minister must address. First, are the proposed changes so manifestly unfair as to be illegal? Students who entered this course in recent years are finding the ground rules changing, thus denying them their legitimate expectations of a degree in marketing and languages. This was obviously available to them as an option when they originally enrolled in the college. Second, who is responsible for this proposal? Is it the sole responsibility of the college authorities? What role, if any, has the NCEA played in this? Third, what consultations, if any and with whom, took place before this proposal entered the public domain. Pupils have complained to my office that they were effectively presented with a fait accompli. Fourth, what is the main raison d'être for the proposed change? Does it have anything to do with the significant increase in enrolment of first year students on the course last September and the consequent strain this has placed on financial and human resources? Fifth, if such a change is desirable and defensible, should it not only be introduced on a phased basis applying only to students who enrol after 1 September 2001? Sixth, given the success of the course to date, is change of any sort really necessary?

These proposed changes have caused considerable upset to the students directly involved. It is a classic case of how not to implement change. I appeal to the Minister not to pull the plug on the course on which students had set their hearts when the entered the college. If change is necessary, let it be on a planned and phased basis coming into effect next September for those enrolling at the college for the first time. The change should not be made in the arbitrary and authoritarian fashion in which it has been proposed and foisted upon students without prior consultation.

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Science (Mr. O'Dea):

I am glad the Deputy has given me the opportunity to clarify the current position in respect of this matter. As the issues raised are matters for which the institute has responsibility under the relevant Acts, it would be useful if I set out the legislative position in relation to the governance of the institutes of technology.

Under the Regional Technical Colleges Acts, 1992 to 1999, the governing body and the director of an institute of technology are responsible for the management and control of its affairs. Under the Act, it is a function of the institute to provide such courses of study as its governing body considers appropriate, subject to the annual programme and budget approval process laid down in the Act. The Act also requires each institute to have an academic council appointed by the governing body to assist in the planning, co-ordination, development and overseeing of the educational work of the institute and to protect, maintain and develop the academic standards of the courses and activities of the institute.

The functions, which the academic council has under the Act, include the following: to make recommendations to the governing body for the establishment of structures which enable the implementation of appropriate courses of study in accordance with the institute's annual programmes and budget allocation; to make recommendations to the governing body for the establishment of appropriate structures to implement courses of study; and to propose to the governing body, subject to the requirements of the National Council for Educational Awards or other relevant authority, the form of regulations to be made by the governing body for the conduct of examinations and the evaluation of academic progress.

With regard to the matter raised in relation to the Institute of Technology, Tallaght, the position is that, while it is not appropriate for the Minister for Education and Science to become involved in the detail of this matter, he has asked the college to provide him with information on this course and it has advised him that its position is as follows:

The Institute of Technology, Tallaght, is required to review its courses on a regular basis to ensure their relevance and career enhancing prospects. It is normal practice in the sector for courses to be amended or replaced in line with changes in the workplace and in response to comments from graduates and employers.

This takes the form of a five yearly "Programmatic Review"; a process agreed between the awarding body (the National Council for Educational Awards) and the Institutes of Technology. It involves a thorough self-study by the academic unit under review in terms of its operations, management and academic programmes. In particular, the programmatic review investigates whether courses have been modified and modernised as a result of the development of new knowledge and a changing economic environment. The Peer Review Group, which undertakes this process, is drawn from experts in universities, other Institutes of Technology, the NCEA and business. A highly qualified panel of respected peers agreed to undertake this important task on behalf of the Institute. A major function of this peer review group is to recommend continuing accreditation of courses. The Peer Review Group assessed all of the courses on offer in Business (Accounting and Business Administration & Management as well as those in Marketing). They made recommendations in relation to the operation and structure of all these courses. The changes recommended in the Marketing Courses followed a thorough review of all the Documents submitted by the Department of Management and a day long meeting with the Head of School, Head of Department and teaching staff.

The Department submitted two suites of marketing courses to the Programmatic Review Group viz.: a National Certificate, National Diploma and BBS Degree in Marketing and a National Certificate, National Diploma and BBS Degree in Marketing with a Language. Despite cogent arguments by the Institute's staff with regard to this latter suite of courses, the Review Group was strongly of the opinion that the suites of courses, i.e. Marketing and Marketing with a Language, were not sufficiently different to merit two separate Certificates of Course Recognition. Instead they recommended a single suite of courses at National Certificate, National Diploma and BBS level in Marketing, with two streams, viz., a Language stream and a Business Development Stream.

Courses in Institute of Technology, Tallaght are structured on the progression model, which allow students who apply and are qualified to be selected for follow-on courses at Diploma and Degree level. The Institute tries at all times to facilitate progression for suitably qualified students, however places on follow-on courses are generally limited and awarded on an order of merit basis. In rationalising the suite of Marketing courses, the Institute has ensured that the total number of places previously available on the Marketing and Marketing and Languages Diplomas and degrees remains unchanged and are now available on the revised Diploma and Degree in Marketing. The Marketing courses have not been abandoned, rather modernised and rationalised to ensure appropriate levels of the knowledge and skills in business needed in the current marketplace. The Institute would be remiss in its duty to students and in its obligations under the Regional Technical College Acts if it did not amend courses as economic and educational circumstances change. Students who wish to continue with their major foreign language can do so.

The situation which arose recently in Institute of Technology, Tallaght, and which the Deputy has raised here this evening is a matter for the institute.