THE Minister for Education will receive a submission today from the Council of Convocation of the National University of Ireland highlighting the dangers inherent in the proposed Universities Bill.
"We feel that it is a drastic piece of legislation which seeks to shape uniformly all university education into a single homogeneous entity which takes little account of the history, traditions and ethos of the constituent universities," said the council of convocation, elected to represent the graduate body of the National University of Ireland (comprising 174,000 graduates) as well as a number of office holders at university level.
In its submission, the council said that it would appear the Minister wished to remove the bulk of autonomy of universities and to hand over what was left to the Higher Education Authority.
The council believes the governing bodies of universities should reflect broad and balanced viewpoints. "However, when one examines this Bill in detail, one sees the potential for abuse in appointments to the governing body where a political agenda could be set.
It calls for an explanation of the removal of an introductory statement in the Bill about the need to respect the ethos and traditions of long lived university institutions.
It also calls on all graduates to take note of the increasing intervention of the Minister and the Higher Education Authority into the affairs of the university; the formulation of the university's functions and objectives by the Minister and the HEA; arrangements to dismiss governing bodies and replace them by commissions which might have no direct link with a university; the specification of staffing procedures of the university and the removal of the traditional academic functions of universities, in conflict with the whole spirit of the 1908 Charters for the National University and Queen's University, Belfast.
It points to a departure by the Minister for Education, who addressed the convocation last January, from her then stated position of respect for the different histories, traditions and cultures of the universities.
Professor Emeritus Paul Cannon, chairman of the council, said he believed the Minister would be disappointed with this lack of enthusiasm for the Bill. However, he added that the council of convocation had a role to mobilise, co ordinate and articulate graduate opinion on any matter relating to universities.
"Parents, students, educators, both in the primary and second level, in fact all who feel they have a stake in Irish education, should examine the dark road ahead as outlined in this statist Bill," the document says.
"Overall, there is too much detail without giving any specific reasons for what the Minister is trying to achieve."
Are the universities to be regarded as commodities? the council asks.
In its submission, the council highlights a number of sections in the proposed Bill that are unsatisfactory and points to examples of "sloppiness" and words which need clarification.
The council believes that instead of appointments to a governing body, elections should be held where possible. "We note that in drafting this section the specifics of who should be represented and the reasons for such representation are very inadequate," it states.
On public accountability, the council claims the Bill seems to ignore the fact that the university acts like any other corporate body and has to submit accounts and meet budgetary requirements laid down by the HEA.