Nurses fail in fight for funds

GALWAY

The Minister for Health, Brian Cowen, has reiterated his refusal to fund the final year of the pilot degree programme for nurses in NUI Galway. In a letter to the university's students' union, Cowen said he "is not in a position to provide funding for the students concerned". NUI Galway introduced the degree option as a one-year add-on to the nursing diploma, in order to expand the skills base of the profession and bring their academic qualifications to the same minimum degree level as other healthcare workers. The Department of Health is responsible for funding nursing education but, since the degree programme is optional, it takes the view that nurses taking the course are responsible for their own fees. The Department of Education says it is a matter for its colleagues in Health and has declined to intervene.

The result is that 55 diploma students who are due to commence the degree course in January face fees and no maintenance support for their degree year. Other third-level colleges which provide nursing and may have been considering a similar degree add-on may now have to reconsider their plans in the light of the Department of Health's decision.

Darren McCallig, president of the students' union, described the decision as another aspect of the victimisation of nurses. "Unless the Government reverses its decision and funds the fourth year, student nurses at this university will be the only full-time undergraduate students in a state-funded college not qualifying for free undergraduate tuition fees," McCallig says.

UCD

Fees could be back, says prez

The President of UCD, Dr Art Cosgrove, has warned that undergraduate fees may have to be reintroduced in some form unless the State increases its contribution to the highereducation sector.

Speaking at a conferring ceremony for graduates last week, Cosgrove said that what the universities feared most was an expansion in student numbers without the necessary corresponding increase in resources. "The abolition of tuition fees of itself does not create any additional places in the universities," said Cosgrove. "If we are to have an increase, as recommended by the report of the Steering Committee on the Future Development of Higher Education, it will have to be accepted that the burden of the State will increase correspondingly, unless a provision is put in place whereby individuals or families who are in a position to do so contribute to the cost of their university education." The report projected student numbers to increase from 90,200 in 1994-95 to 112,500 third-level students by 2000 and 120,000 by 2005.

Maynooth

Maynooth stretches to Kilkenny

NUI Maynooth has opened its first Outreach centre, based in Kilkenny. The centre at St Kieran's College currently caters for 50 mature students, with the main element of the centre's work being the BA in local and community studies, including local history, cultural studies and social studies. The Kilkenny campus will be linked to Maynooth by video conferencing facilities and NUI Maynooth is currently investigating the possibility of collaborative opportunities in Kilkenny with other third-level colleges, including Queen's University, Belfast.

France '98

The Irish can get to the World Cup

Students who fancy a trip to the World Cup Finals in France next year - either with or without the company of the Irish team, depending upon developments in Brussels - should note that those nice people at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs are offering four Irish students tickets to the quarter-final, semi-final and final.

The students will participate in a number of cultural visits and meet "the personalities involved with the Tournament". The competition is open to third-level students, aged 17 to 20, who are fluent in French; similar competitions will take place in 100 other countries.

The catch - there's always a catch - is that the initial stage of the competition will be based on a questionnaire about France, football and French, so brush up on those Cantonaisms. This will take place in all RTCs, ITs and universities on January 17th. The 20 top students will compete in a final on April 4th.

The competition, Allons en France 98, is a partnership between the Applied French Association, the French Lecturers' Association in Regional Colleges and the Cultural Service of the French Embassy. Entry forms are available in colleges.

Inspiration

Read any good books lately?

Entries have already begun to pour in for the Hodges Figgis/E&L books competition. Some £600 worth of book vouchers are up for grabs to those students who write in and tell us, in not more than 400 words, the literary character with whom they feel a particular kinship. So if a part of you died with Little Nell (or laughed at her death, like Oscar Wilde); if your holiday photos are starting to resemble the picture of Dorian Gray; or if reading James Ellroy makes you want to go out and shoot the patrons of your local Nite Owl Diner, then we want to hear from you!

The competition is open to all students of PLC and thirdlevel colleges. Entries - to Hodges Figgis Competition, E&L, The Irish Times, D'Olier Street, Dublin 2 - should be accompanied by name, address, college and student ID number. The three best entrants will receive, respectively, £300, £200 and £100 worth of book vouchers.

Closing date is November 15th and the winning entries will be published in E&L.