On 2nd September last, my colleague the Minister for Justice and Equality and I announced robust regulatory reforms to the International education sector. These reforms have three main pillars. The first pillar is a new list of eligible programmes. The current Internationalisation Register will be replaced by an 'Interim List of Eligible Programmes for Student Immigration Permission' from 1st January 2015. In line with the strategic priorities identified under the International Education Strategy, only programmes which are accredited or recognised by Irish awarding bodies in the English language and higher education sectors will now be permitted to be listed.
The second pillar of reform is an enhanced inspection and compliance regime and the third pillar relates to changes to the operation of the work concession. These reforms are required to protect the educational and consumer interests of genuine international students, to tackle abuse of the labour market and the immigration regime and to safeguard the strong international reputation of high-quality Irish education providers.
There has been an ongoing consultation in relation to changes to the regulatory and immigration framework in which the international education sector operates. National policy in this area, signalling regulatory reforms in the sector to relevant stakeholders, is set out in the policy document Investing in Global relationships: Ireland's International Education Strategy 2010-2015, which was first published in September 2010. The Task Force set up in May 2014 to find solutions for the students affected by the closure of a number of private colleges comprised membership and consultation with a number of key stakeholders including the Irish Council for International Students, the Higher Education Colleges Association, Marketing English in Ireland, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Quality and Qualifications Ireland and Enterprise Ireland.
Regarding the application process for QQI recognised courses, provision of private education, including English language training, is not subject to mandatory regulation in the State. Therefore any person is free to set up a private college of education or a language school without having to come under the oversight of the Department or any of its agencies. QQI operates ACELS (Accreditation and Co-ordination of English Language Services), which is a voluntary scheme that grants recognition to English language teaching organisations annually. QQI wrote to all providers who have programmes on the current Internationalisation Register, informing them of the regulatory changes that would be coming into effect and inviting them to apply for ACELS recognition. All private colleges had the opportunity to apply for ACELS recognition during the period 17th October 2013 to 31st January 2014.
While my Department has not estimated the number of private colleges which may close as a result of these reforms, I am aware that the strengthening of regulations in this area could lead to further college closures in the short term. In this event, the priority of my Department and the Department of Justice and Equality will be to find a reasonable accommodation for genuine students affected. However, it is expected that these reforms will have a positive impact in the longer term, as they will significantly enhance the overall quality of Ireland's international education offering, reduce the risk to our reputation from the activities of lower quality operators and enhance the net benefits of internationalisation to the labour market and wider economy.
