On 22nd July I published a three-pillar series of guides for returning to on-site learning in 2020/2021 which consisted of
- A high level Further and Higher Education Roadmap, which provides an overview of the phased return across further and higher education;
- A COVID-19 Adaptation framework which provides a structure, guidance and support for further and higher education institutions and providers and;
- Practical Guidance for Further and Higher Education for Returning to On-site Activity.
These documents can all be found online at the following link: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/fc7a0-guidance-for-further-and-higher-education-for-returning-to-on-site-activity-in-2020-roadmap-and-covid-19-adaptation-framework .
The success of the return and operation of the sectors for the new academic year will be underpinned by financial support to respond to the costs incurred by the sector in relation to the pandemic and those that will arise to ensure the continuity and quality of teaching and learning in the sector and research in Higher Education.
Ultimately Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are autonomous institutions and are entitled to regulate their own academic affairs and administrative processes. Decisions on how courses and campus services will operate will be made by each institution, in line with public health advice, and arrangements will vary between institutions and between courses. The HEIs will communicate the arrangements for the new academic year to students as soon as these arrangements have been finalised. Questions on arrangements for a specific institution or course should be directed to the institution in question.
Whether students will require student accommodation will be dependent on their own individual circumstances and the format of their course. Student accommodation license terms including cost, duration, refund and cancellation policies should be set out in the license agreement signed at the beginning of the academic year. While I would hope that accommodation providers would show flexibility to students in the current circumstances, agreements between students and accommodation providers are a private matter, and neither I nor my Department have any remit to issue instructions in relation to the private rental market.
In relation to student fees, under my Department’s free fees schemes, the Exchequer provides funding toward the tuition fee costs of eligible undergraduate students with students paying the student contribution which stands at €3,000 since 2014/2015. It is important to recognise that the exchequer pays this contribution (or part of it) on behalf of almost 50% of eligible undergraduate students as part of the student support grant.
Where students do not meet the eligibility criteria of the Free Fees Initiative, for example full-time undergraduate students who do not qualify for the free tuition fees; fees for part-time undergraduates or; any post-graduate students, it is a matter for the higher education institution as an autonomous body to determine which fee rate is applicable for students. Any determination as to the level of fees to be charged is a matter for the institution in light of their own particular conditions and circumstances, and there are no current plans for the Department to provide advice in such matters.
