THE Minister for Education will have the power to dissolve the governing body of a university for up to a year under draft legislation she will present to the Cabinet today.
The power of dissolution, which must be confirmed by both houses of the Oireachtas, was first proposed in a position paper published by Ms Breathnach late last year. Following opposition from within the colleges, particularly Trinity, it was thought the proposal would be dropped.
However, it is understood that the legislation contains no significant changes from the original position paper. For the first time, outsiders will be appointed to the governing bodies of all universities, though in some cases their number may be as low as one.
The legislation also will give greater autonomy to the main colleges in the National University of Ireland UCD, UCC, UCG and Maynooth which will have the power to award their own degrees. The NUI itself will continue to exist as a coordinating body.
Since the publication of the position paper, Ms Breathnach has consulted further with the heads of the universities. Submissions have also been received from the Irish Federation of University Teachers, the NUI senate and other interested parties.
The Minister's original proposals suggested up to 10 seats for outsiders on governing bodies and were heavily criticised by academics. But much of this opposition abated when a number of proposals were diluted.
However, the Fellows of Trinity College have expressed opposition to any power of dissolution being granted to the Minister and resolved last month to wait for the legislation to be published before deciding on their stance.
The governing body and staff of the University of Limerick have also expressed concern that the proposed legislation would give too much power to college presidents. The university's staff are to hand in a petition at the Department of Education on Thursday.
