Galway-Mayo IT (GMIT) has apologised after two lecturers were accidentally recorded making negative remarks about students.
The footage has been circulating on social media in recent days, and includes the lecturers referring to students by name as they discuss their performance in a presentation that the students just gave.
The lecturers did not turn off their cameras or microphones to evaluate the students, who remained on the call while the discussion took place. The lecturers made several negative comments about students in the footage, including asking whether a particular student has “something wrong with her”.
In a statement on GMIT’s website, the college’s president Orla Flynn said: “I would like to wholeheartedly apologise to our students for the data breach that has caused such deep hurt and dismay.”
“GMIT is known as a student-centred institute and some of the comments made by our staff do not reflect the values to which we aspire”, Flynn said. “We are taking the breaches of GMIT policies and data protection legislation very seriously.”
“Apologies will be issued to the students directly concerned.”
GMIT Students’ Union President Victor O’Loughlin told the Irish Times that the incident is being investigated by the student body. He described it as “disappointing”, but did not comment further.
GMIT is set to merge with IT Sligo and Letterkenny IT as part of former Minister for Higher Education Mary Mitchell O’Connor’s pledge to create four more technological universities in Ireland.
During the general election campaign, Fine Gael promised to complete the process of creating another four technological universities by 2025, with the amalgamation of institutes of technology its top priority for higher education.
The creation of the new universities will see the end of institutes of technology around the country.
Some €90 million in funding has been pledged towards the creation of the universities.
