The quality of the higher education system is vital to creating jobs, raising living standards and giving Ireland an edge in the global marketplace. Yet until now, we have had no clear picture of how colleges are performing. Earlier this week, however, the Higher Education Authority began to fill the gaps by publishing the results of a new assessment process.
Under this system, publicly funded third-level institutions drew up agreements in which they set performance targets and outlined their strategic priorities. They did so in the knowledge that a failure to perform could result in State funding being withheld. The results are encouraging. All universities and 10 other colleges and institutes of technology were deemed to have demonstrated an excellent ability to meet skills needs and benchmark themselves against their peers. A further six were found to be satisfactory in their progress against key objectives.
Three, however, did not meet agreed performance levels. They now face potential funding penalties running into hundreds of thousands of euro. These colleges – Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, the National College of Art and Design and Dundalk IT – were found to be sorely wanting in areas such as financial management and strategic coherence. While the penalties are significant, there is much more at stake in terms of the capacity of the higher education system to secure and maintain world-class standards.
The sector faces daunting challenges. Eight years of funding cuts, rising student numbers and a decrease in staffing levels have created significant strain. Additional investment is urgently required. But if the State is going to spend more over the coming years, the public will need convincing that the system is well-run and is helping to meet national requirements.
These assessment measures are an important first step in doing this. We can only be assured that the higher education system is fit for purpose and capable of competing with the world’s best if it is held accountable through robust evaluation. The tax-paying public deserves nothing less.