MORE than half of the academic staff at University College, Galway have signed a petition to the Minister for Education, Ms Breathnach, in protest at the Universities Bill.
If passed, according to the petition, the Bill would "weaken the autonomy of the Irish universities, restrict academic freedom and consequently adversely affect both teaching and research". It was signed by 139 of the 270 full time academic staff at UCG.
Meanwhile, the governing body of University College Dublin said the Bill, published by the Minister in July, seemed to imply that universities were not competent to manage their own affairs. This was "an implication which is totally unwarranted".
"Experience in other countries has shown that the consequences can only be a decline in the standard of the university education provided and of the degrees awarded", said the statement.
There were a number of areas of concern, including management, accountability and the role of the Higher Education Authority. It said that UCD, like other institutions, would continue to be open and transparent, as it had been in the past, to legitimate public scrutiny.
The existing powers of the HEA were perfectly adequate for the authority to carry out its role. "Given that UCD's annual accounts are subject to scrutiny by both the HEA and the Comptroller and Auditor General "detailed interference in the day to day running of the university as proposed in sections of the Bill, runs counter to the management freedom which is essential to the efficient running of the university".
The governing body reaffirmed that the majority of its members should be academic staff and has suggested detailed changes in this regard. "The power proposed for the Minister to suspend the governing body is an unnecessary infringement of its independence."
Concern was also expressed about the impact of the Bill on the rights and conditions of staff legal advice was being sought on this matter.
The Bill establishes (among other things), the four separate colleges of the National University of Ireland (UCD, UCC, UCG and Maynooth) as constituent universities of the NUI with devolved powers and functions.