TUI highlights cuts to Institutes of Technology

NEW figures released by the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) show a massive increase in student enrolments at the Tallaght Institute of Technology at a time when both staff levels and budgets have fallen.

A similar situation at Dun Laoghaire IT has been highlighted by the union. The situation has arisen due to cuts in core grant funding from the Government to designated HEA (Higher Education Authority) institutions.

Between 2008 and 2013, Tallaght IT lost the equivalent of 25 full-time lecturers – a decrease of 11.8 per cent – as a result of cutbacks. Meanwhile, student enrolments between 2008 and 2012 grew by 717 – or 17.7 per cent – with further growth expected in 2013.

The TUI pointed out that between 2008 and 2012, funding for the Tallaght Institute fell by over

?¬6.3m – or 23.9 per cent – and a further cut was announced in the recent budget.

Dun Laoghaire IT has lost the equivalent of 12 full-time lecturers as a result of cutbacks. Student enrolments between 2008 and 2012 grew by 576 – or over 25 per cent – with further growth expected when the 2013 figures are available.

Between 2008 and 2012, funding for Dun Laoghaire IT fell by over

?¬3.9m – or 24.9 per cent.

TUI Assistant General Secretary, Aidan Kenny, said while increased student participation at third level should always be welcomed, he was gravely concerned about the effects that cutbacks are having.

“Put simply, the high quality teaching and learning experience academic staff in Tallaght and Dun Laoghaire want to deliver has been put at risk due to draconian budget and staff cuts,

? Mr Kenny said.

“Academic support has been identified as being of huge importance in increasing student retention and completion rates. This is of particular relevance during a student’s first year in higher education.

“Due to the reduction in academic staff numbers, lecturers are finding that their workload has increased and find it extremely difficult to allocate the necessary time to academic support for students.

?

He added:

“In the country’s current economic predicament, it is damaging in the extreme that lecturers are being prevented from contributing to the growth of the knowledge society and economy.

“Institutes of technology are regional generators of innovation and entrepreneurship and need to be appropriately funded in order to kick-start jobs growth and build high level knowledge capacity to meet the future needs of the economy. The local economy would also be boosted by such investment in higher education.

?

A spokesperson for the Department of Education said:

“The reality of the economic situation and the public expenditure corrections which must be made in the coming years present challenges across all areas of public expenditure. It must be acknowledged that the higher education sector has accommodated significant increases in students numbers at a time when both funding and staff numbers have reduced.

“The Higher Education Authority (HEA) is undertaking a study on the sustainability of the current funding system for higher education. This study was initiated at the request of Minister Quinn and an initial report has been published.

“This report makes it clear that immediate work is required to prepare for a longer-term approach to a system that can be maintained through a sustainable funding base which will be able to address the continual expansion of the sector while protecting the quality of education. The HEA’s work in this area is continuing. The report will help inform decision-making as to the future funding of the sector.

?

The spokesperson added that recurrent funding to the HEA designated institutions (universities, institutes of technology and other designated colleges) to cover block grant and free tuition fees amounts to nearly

?¬1.019 billion this year.