Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris today said that university teaching and learning would be “primarily” on site next academic year.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio One’s Morning Ireland today, Harris said: “We are getting our students and our staff back to college. In two weeks’ time, I will bring a plan to cabinet on how we intend to do that, and what the guidance looks like.”
He added that the “emerging picture” indicates that students will return to classroom-based teaching, tutorials and workshops. He also said that libraries and on-campus bars would likely reopen, and that clubs and societies would also return.
Harris said that he expected most students to be vaccinated by the time the next college term begins, and that staff should also be “overwhelmingly vaccinated”.
Harris also said that the number of students in the third-level sector would likely increase by around 4,500.
Earlier this week it was reported that the number of CAO applications had risen by almost nine per cent compared to last year, and that the majority of these were coming from the EU.
Director General of the Irish Universities Association Jim Miley, speaking on the same show this morning, expressed concern about rising students numbers.
“Those extra students are coming into an already overstretched system”, Miley said.
This, he added, raised questions around the physical capacity of laboratories and placements, as well as the staff–student ratio.
“The staff student ratios in Irish higher education are among the worst in Europe”, he said.
“I think what most people don’t realise is that the number of permanent staff is limited by the government under the employment control framework.”
“So to give you an example of the permanent – the core or state-funded – staff stood at 19,000 in 2008 when we had 155,000 students. Those staff members – the permanent state-funded staff – was at the same level last year ,still 19,000, but we had 213,000 students.”
When questioned on the staff–student ratio, Harris said: “I fully accept that in return for the additional places there will absolutely be requirement for additional staff. And I expect we have good news and progress on that for them.”
Union of Students in Ireland President Lorna Fitzpatrick, also speaking on Morning Ireland, said that “the vast majority of students do wish to get back on site, but it’s really important that they’re back on site in a safe manner in a safe environment”.
She added that “once we get back on site, it’s not about just returning to the status quo – what we had before – it’s looking at how we can make that better”.
