Institutes of technology warn against ‘three-tier’ system

The umbrella group for institutes of technology (ITs) is urging the Government to guard against the emergence of a “three-tier” system of higher education through the creation of Technological Universities.

Institutes of Technology Ireland has also criticised the lack of additional funding from Government to support the merger of ITs that are seeking Technological University (TU) designation.

“People seem to be fixated on the idea of mergers and have not looked at the real costs,” said chairman Prof Ciarán Ó Catháin.

“These mergers need additional money rather than taking the existing budget and top-slicing it.”

Prof Ó Catháin, president of Athlone IT, said there was increasing concern in the sector over sustainability of funding, and a number of institutions had large debts.

The umbrella group is in talks with DIT, which until now had now been a member, on the creation of a new lobby group spanning all technological higher education institutions.

“It will be a new body, whether you’re an IT or a TU, and will be working much more at an advocacy and policy level. We have been slow to do that,” he said, predicting the new group would be set up by the summer.

“The critical thing for all of us is we don’t end up with a three-tier structure instead of the two-tier structure we have at the moment.”

While there was competition between ITs to be first to achieve TU designation, Prof Ó Catháin cited shared concern that the merger process was being driven by political rather than educational considerations.

He said becoming a research-intensive institution required additional funding and “none of that has been factored in. Instead, we have particular ministers wanting technological universities for their particular regions.”

He stressed, however, “we don’t want this to be a party-political issue”, and said there should be cross-party agreement on how to fund the sector into the future.

Without additional State funding, either fees would have to rise or student intake would have to fall.

The continuing increase in students applying for courses through the CAO highlighted the added pressures, he said, suggesting that a rise in the student registration fee to €4,000 next year might be necessary to plug the hole in finances.

Of the State's 14 ITs, 10 have begun bids to achieve TU designation. Those outside the process include Athlone IT, although Prof Ó Catháin said it was still exploring options, including a standalone bid or developing a closer relationship with Maynooth University.

Athlone IT had also been approach by two consortiums to see whether it would join in different mergers, he added.