DCU, UCD, Queen's, TCD and the University of Ulster have on-campus creches, while St Patrick's, Drumcondra, Dublin, has one under construction.

UCG, DIT, NCAD, WIT and the RTCs in Athlone, Dundalk, Galway, Letterkenny, Limerick and Waterford have no creches, but do have childcare funds.

The NCIR has neither creche nor childcare fund.

It may yet prove a source of some embarrassment to the newly-designated Cork Institute of Technology that the college still does not have creche facilities, despite the size of its student population and its long campaign for enhanced status. In fact, no RTC or IT in the State - and this includes DIT, which is currently seeking university status - is in a position to offer creche facilities to students or staff. All of the universities offer creches, with the exception of UCG, which operates a childcare fund. Some of the other colleges do offer a subsidy to students who wish to use an outside creche but, in general, creche facilities appear to have languished far from the top of the list of many colleges' priorities for some time.

With this in mind, USI has launced a childcare campaign pack to raise awareness about the issue among students and to enable them to mount an effective campaign for childcare facilities at regional and national level.

"Basically, we feel that there should be equal access to education for all sections of the population, and that includes student parents," says USI's women's rights officer, Nuala Toman. "Without that equality of access, those who are student parents will continue to be outside the system."

According to USI, there are about 9,600 student parents in the State, a figure which would probably be greater if more colleges had a suitable childcare policy in place. "In terms of the provision, most of them are coping, but they have to look beyond college facilities and use childminders in the home or private creches of they may be depending on parents to help them out," Toman says. "But there should be a provision in all colleges, rather than student parents having to go to someone with their cap in their hands.

"In terms of being a student parent, it's tough enough being a student without having parental responsibilities. There are going to be certain times of the day when there are particular difficulties, mainly in the morning and early evening. "More and more students are taking on part-time jobs but it's extremely difficult for student parents to take on work or even study in the evenings."

There are other issues involved here. Mature students - those most likely to have family commitments - are still in a tiny minority in this State. In 1994, mature students accounted for just over 5 per cent of the total full-time third-level population. In Britain they account for 33 per cent and in Northern Ireland 29 per cent. Interestingly, the majority of mature students at both full-time and part-time level in Ireland were male. Given that there is a recognition of the need to encourage more mature students to enter the third-level system, the absence of adequate childcare facilities in many colleges undermines any more general commitment to altering the current situation.

In addition, childcare facilities are used not only by students but also by staff. It is difficult to see how colleges can attract the best staff when they are unable or unwilling to provide basic facilities such as creches. For those colleges which find that the building of a creche is beyond the limits of their budget, there are other options: childcare funds, agreements with private developers or block-booking places in external creches.

Finally, Toman says, the Government needs to address the anomaly in the social welfare system which deprives students who fall pregnant in college of any social-welfare entitlements. While a single parent who returns to education after six months in receipt of a single parent's allowance can retain the allowance and any supplementary benefits, a student who falls pregnant while in college can expect no such assistance. "It's a disgraceful situation," she concludes.

College news is compiled by John Connolly.