Madam, – There are thousands of current students already progressing in courses for bachelor, master, doctoral and research degrees in the universities of the NUI. They have legal, moral and practical rights to complete the degrees and receive the qualifications for which they registered. Overseas students who have come here, at great expense to their families, have extra moral rights to receive the NUI degrees they value and are working hard for.
It is the height of educational and legal ignorance as well as political arrogance for any politician to announce the abolition of a university at short notice. All universities in this country are paid for by the citizens of the country and they are all part of Ireland’s national university system; those who think they are some type of special prima donnas should be properly brought into it. – Yours, etc,