ONE of the largest private colleges is to take legal action against the Minister for Education, Breathnach, for alleged discrimination against its students, who were excluded from the general abolition of undergraduate fees last year.
Mr Ray Kearns, head of the Institute of Education in Dublin, has accused Ms Breathnach of "bare faced discrimination against private colleges, which offer degrees validated by British universities. The Minister is "exporting students and jobs to the UK", he claims.
Mr Kearns is further angered by the Minister's decision to limit tax relief on fees for private colleges to courses approved by the National Council for Educational Awards (NCEA).
This measure will most affect colleges which specialise in degrees awarded by British universities. However, colleges will qualify for tax relief if they obtain NCEA approval for courses currently validated by overseas universities.
Mr Kearns said from next autumn Irish students going to study at a UK university will qualify for free tuition and grants. However, students enrolling in courses in Irish private colleges which are validated by the same British colleges will get nothing.
"It's a terrible thing to think that an Irish Minister would be actively encouraging students to go to the UK to the jeopardy of business people in Ireland and the staff in private colleges," he said.
Private colleges will also be hit by the decision of Northern Ireland's education department to discontinue grant support for students from the North attending private colleges here.
Over the past year, the NCEA has begun to approve large numbers of courses in the private sector, to the annoyance of some RTCs which feel the NCEA is spreading itself too widely. The RTCs have now proposed the establishment of a separate validating body for their colleges.
