Irish view of non-EU universities 'patronising and uninformed'

Irish universities have a "patronising and uninformed" attitude to universities from non-EU countries, according to immigrants interviewed in a report being launched this morning.

The report by Integrating Ireland, a network of refugee, asylum seeker and immigrant groups, calls for guidelines across the third-level sector in dealing with applications from non-EU nationals living here.

It interviewed immigrants and asylum seekers from 20 countries about their encounters with the Irish educational system.

"Many participants saw the attitude of Irish universities to universities in non-EU countries, particularly in Africa, as patronising and uninformed," the report stated. "As one participant remarked, the university in his country was far older and better established than the one he was trying to enter in Ireland."

One immigrant was told by a nursing school that it did not take people who were not Irish because "we train our own children first". A Nigerian degree-holder was told by a college interviewer that Nigerian universities were "half-baked".

"Many were of the view that prior educational and work experience gained in other countries were simply ignored by employers and universities."

Immigrants also wondered why they were being pushed into Fás courses that they had little interest in while they got no help in having their existing qualifications recognised.

The report calls for a "coherent national approach" involving the Government departments that deal with access to education, and recognition of qualifications for people from non-EU countries living here.

It recommends that entry requirements to third-level colleges be clearly defined and not be "at the discretion of individual departments and staff".

The report was carried out in association with the Irish Refugee Council, DCU, DIT and NUI Maynooth. It will be launched by Minister of State for Education Síle de Valera.