HIGHLY PAID academics engaged in research work should also teach, Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn said.

“The ideal model expressed to me by the Irish Universities Association, and by other professional educationalists, is that a well-qualified senior lecturer should combine research, teaching and work in the public community to a ratio of 40:40:20,’’ he added.

The Minister was replying to Fianna Fáil education spokesman Brendan Smith who said there was an issue about the amount of class contact for senior lecturers and academics in higher education institutions.

Mr Smith said 99 employees in the higher education sector were earning more than €200,000 annually, despite the introduction of a pay ceiling across the public service.

Mr Quinn said he had written to the chairpersons of the university governing bodies requesting them to ask those individuals earning in excess of the €200,000 pay ceiling to make voluntary waivers of salary.

Details of the methodology to achieve this had been issued by his department at the end of last month.

“Given the short time since the arrangements were notified, it is reasonable to allow some time for this matter to be concluded.”

Mr Quinn said the terms of the Government’s pay ceiling would be imposed on new appointees.

Mr Smith said he would be disappointed if there were no instant responses to the Minister’s calls for volunteers on this issue.

Sinn Féin education spokesman Sean Crowe said it was not just about salaries, but also expenses and other extras secured by some academics. “Some of these expenses can be as large as the salary. Has the Minister any idea on how that can be tackled?’’

Mr Quinn said he did not, although he had heard many opinions on what needed to be done.

He said he would be meeting the Higher Education Authority, the Irish Universities Association and the institutes of technology to discuss with them “how we can get more for less’’.

Mr Quinn said he had been told by people, who said they had knowledge of inside operations, that there was room for improvement, but he wanted to see the details.