More college places may be made available outside CAO points system

The Government will consider plans shortly to shake up the entry process for college courses by ring-fencing more university places which do not require CAO points for entry.

Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris will tell delegates at the Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) annual conference that he wants stronger pathways to allow more students in further education or Post-Leaving Cert courses to progress to third level.

This would allow more students to access college courses and could help take some of the heat out of the points race.

Under the plans a student who missed out on points to secure a nursing degree course could complete a pre-nursing course in further education and have a guaranteed pathway towards a college place.

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The proposal forms part of a wider funding and reform plan for the further and higher education system which is expected to go to Cabinet soon. It is expected that Mr Harris will seek a multi-annual funding package for the higher education sector aimed at putting it on a more sustainable footing.

Mr Harris has previously ruled out a student loan scheme to provide this funding and is understood to be in favour of increased State contributions.

He will tell TUI delegates that additional funding “will not be money for old rope” and that “with additional investment will come the need for additional reform”.

The plan, he will say, includes reductions in the lecturer to student ratios, better pathways between further and higher education, more equity of access to third level and a new academic contract for staff working in technological universities.

The question of how to fund third level has been on the political agenda since the publication of the Cassells Report in 2016. It said about €1 billion in extra funding was needed by 2030 if Ireland was to build a world-class system.

Mr Harris will tell delegates that the Government over recent budgets has taken significant steps to address the funding needs of the sector, with total investment, at more than €2 billion, the the highest it has ever been.

In addition, he will say the revised National Development Plan also includes exchequer capital funding of more than €700 million for higher education for the period from this year to 2025.

Mr Harris will also say he wants to broaden access to third level for underrepresented groups. A National Access Plan will set out his department's aims of achieving a more inclusive and diverse student population in higher education.

He will also focus on supporting students with an intellectual disability in participating in and successfully completing higher education. It will fund all third-level institutions to support universal design and develop partnerships between further and higher education.

Mr Harris will also announce plans to provide supports for Ukrainian citizens who are seeking the recognition of their further and higher education qualifications in Ireland. His department has tasked a panel of experts and guidance counsellors with creating a “central helpdesk hub” for Ukrainian students who want to continue their studies in Ireland.