30 Beal 2013, 15:55
The Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement this morning heard calls to encourage greater cooperation and coordination between third level institutions on both sides of the border, particularly in relation to admission and progression opportunities for students on an all-island basis.
30 May 2013
A detailed discussion with Minister for Education and Skills Ruairí Quinn TD was followed by a presentation by Letterkenny, Sligo and Dundalk Institutes of Technology which made a series of recommendations on promoting student mobility, particularly from North to South. The Committee heard that the proportion of students from Northern Ireland enrolling each year since 2007/08 has remained at around 0.5 percent.
Chairman of the Committee Joe McHugh TD says: “We thank Minister Quinn and the representatives from three prominent ITs in the border region for a fruitful exchange of views. Commencing the meeting, Minister Quinn outlined to us the growing cooperation that exists in areas including special needs education, educational under-achievement, school patronage and teacher training. The Minister pointed to the robust literacy programmes in the Northern Ireland system, elements of which could serve as a template for tackling literacy in the South. Minister Quinn also pointed to the perceived lack of recognition in the CAO system for A-levels as a major factor behind the low numbers attending Southern institutions from Northern Ireland.
Taking up this theme, a proposal from the presidents of three prominent ITs in the border region made a series of practical recommendations to promote student mobility between both jurisdictions. We heard of the considerable synergies that exist in the provision of third level education. It was pointed out that there is currently capacity in the Institute of Technology sector, while the cap on education numbers in Northern Ireland has resulted in considerable numbers there studying in Great Britain. Therefore considerable scope exists to ensure greater take-up of courses within the IT sector in particular among students in Northern Ireland. As a Committee, we intend to bring the recommendations to the attention of Minister Quinn and to work with the three ITs in progressing the proposals.\"
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Ends
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Members of the Committee:
Deputies Seán Conlan, Seán Crowe, Clare Daly, Regina Doherty, Peter Fitzpatrick, Frank Feighan, Martin Ferris, Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan, Dominic Hannigan, Michael P. Kitt, Joe McHugh, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, Joe O’Reilly, Brendan Smith and Joanna Tuffy.
Senators Jim D’Arcy, Maurice Cummins, Martin McAleese, Mary Moran, Mary White.
Chairman: Joe McHugh, TD Vice-Chairman: Joe O'Reilly, TD