Brian O'Shea
Ceist:368 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Education and Science his proposals to develop the University of the South-East; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13596/02]
Written Answers. - Third Level Education.
Third level education in the south-east region is provided by the Waterford and Carlow institutes of technology and by the Tipperary Rural and Business Development Institute. There are no proposals at present in developing a university of the south-east. The question of a university for the south-east has been raised previously in the context of the development of Waterford Institute of Technology. There are no plans to change the status of Waterford Institute of Technology.
In July 1996, the Government approved in principle the recommendations in the report of the steering committee on the future development of higher education as a benchmark for future planning in the sector. The steering committee concluded that an upgrading and expansion of Waterford Regional Technical College, now Waterford Institute of Technology, represented the most appropriate response to the higher education needs of the south-east region. The committee's report recommended an increase in student places from 3,500 to 5,000 in the Regional Technical College, an increase in degree level awards and a change of title. The report also recommended that the major focus of expansion be at degree level. It stated that such provision would place the college at the top end of the spectrum by comparison with other Regional Technical Colleges in terms of provision of degree places and would enable the region to reach the national average participation in degree programmes.
The Government accepted these recommendations and the provision, in both the total number of places and in degree level courses, in what is now Waterford Institute of Technology has been expanded annually and incrementally in line with available resources. In this regard, figures supplied to my Department by Waterford Institute of Technology indicate that over 40% of the 5,443 students enrolled on full-time certificate, diploma, degree and postgraduate courses, in the 2000-01 academic year, were pursuing degree courses. These measures, combined with the change of title of the college to institute of technology, provide the necessary status and capacity for the institute to meet the identified higher education needs of the region over the coming years. Consistent with this approach WIT is among the first institutes of technology to be given authority to make their own educational awards under the terms of the Qualification (Education and Training) Act, 1999.