The State's largest third-level institution, Dublin Institute of Technology, has been forced to send students home, cut overtime and part-time hours and curtail recruitment because of serious financial pressures, believed to include a shortfall of over €2 million.
In an internal letter obtained by The Irish Times, the college says it is facing "significant financial restrictions" and that the Department of Education is not prepared to advance the college more funds for the rest of the financial year.
The letter says that in order to prevent DIT from overrunning its budget significantly, the college will have to instigate cutbacks. "Directors have been asked to review non-fixed costs in their area and are doing everything in their power to implement any possible efficiencies," it says.
Another letter sent by a senior DIT official assures the college's academics that full-time courses should be delivered as approved, but there may be some modifications. The position of part-time courses is not clear at this stage.
In a highly unusual move, about 80 first-year students on two courses - interior design and visual communications - have been sent home for the last few weeks because lecturers claim they cannot teach classes with such high numbers. The college has had to double up some classes and reduce the number of part-time lecturers.
This has caused staff on the two courses to pull out of teaching for the moment. Parents of students on these courses contacted The Irish Times to complain. Student union president, Mr Hugh O'Reilly, said students were suffering while the college and the Department of Education argued.
A DIT spokeswoman could not give details of the cuts, but said the college was looking at a range of options. The Department of Education insisted the institute must stick within its annual allocation.