Sir, – The Irish Federation of University Teachers wishes to draw attention to the escalating crisis in the third-level education system.
The next government must immediately address the devastation of underfunding and understaffing that has resulted from years of budgetary cutbacks in the sector.
Third-level education is increasingly being reduced to poor-relation status in the education system, despite soaring student numbers.
Under the outgoing government, funding per student at third level fell below that of second level for the first time ever.
The years 2007 to 2014 saw funding to universities slashed by 26 per cent and to other colleges by 24 per cent. Staff numbers declined by 4,500 from 2008 to 2013.
At the same time student numbers at third level surged by over 31,000 (16 per cent) from 2008 to 2014.
Increasing numbers of academic staff are being employed on temporary and highly insecure employment contracts, while research in our universities is being undermined and academic staff are being denied time to engage in research activities.
The next government must also address gender quality in staff promotions, by ensuring that universities implement the recommendations of the Higher Education Authority’s national review of gender equality in higher education, chaired by Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, which is due to report next June.
Finally, education should be excluded from the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), which would facilitate access by discredited private US colleges to Ireland, with heavy penalties imposed on the taxpayer if they are denied.
The EU Council of Ministers has excluded the audiovisual sector from TTIP to preserve and promote cultural and linguistic diversity within the EU.The same reasoning justifies an exemption for education from TTIP.
The above proposals are vital to ensuring that Irish higher education has the policies and sustained investment to maintain standards and to meet growing student demand in the years ahead.
The next programme for government is the place to begin to put things right. – Yours, etc,
MIKE JENNINGS,
General Secretary,
Irish Federation
of University Teachers
Merrion Square,
Dublin 2.