Sir, – Seán Flynn (September 6th) notes that “teacher training in the State is set to be transformed, with fewer colleges”, around the country, arising from the projected consolidation of institutions.
The Report of the International Review Panel on the Structure of Initial Teacher Education Provision in Ireland calls for a “smaller number of centres which will be professionally and academically stronger than the current structures”.
However, it is extremely disappointing that the report recommends the relocation of home economics teacher education from the recognised centre of excellence, St Angela’s in Sligo, to the NUIG campus, ignoring a key premise of Ireland’s National Strategy on Higher Education which sees local, regional and international collaboration as a key to higher education systems development.
Moving, wholesale, the home economics teacher training from St Angela’s (which has 60 years proven experience of delivering the highest quality education for home economics teachers) to Galway would require significant capital expenditure in NUIG, which right now has neither the necessary educational infrastructure nor the professional expertise in home economics.
It is perfectly possible – indeed it is in many ways advantageous – for universities to maintain multiple campuses, provided adequate provisions are made for distance learning and utilisation of technology. Indeed, there is already significant collaboration between St Angela’s and NUIG. Establishing regional centres of excellence under larger parent campuses will ensure the type of high-level training and research sought by successive governments. This philosophy – consolidating while retaining profiled centres of excellence – has worked well in a number of Scandinavian countries, particularly Denmark and Sweden.
Furthermore, it is remarkable that this report which places research-driven teacher education located in a university setting at the core of its recommendations does not deal with the issue of online teacher education. If Government is serious about implementing policies to upgrade teacher education, then it must deal with the sector as a whole and the Minister has to explain why the online sector was not part of the terms of reference of this report.
It is beyond belief that once again we are facing the situation whereby all teacher training provision will be accessible only south of a line from Dublin to Galway, further enhancing the concentration of resources in one part of the country.
In this context, what we need is collaboration, not relocation. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – I read with some alarm of proposals before the Minister for Education to amalgamate teacher training colleges. Most of the amalgamations outlined are within the same geographical locations. However, the proposal to amalgamate St Angela’s College with NUI Galway in Galway will have a huge impact on the provision of education in the north west.
I would like to see some creativity applied to the process of decision-making in government departments, especially with regard to education. I recognise that we are in serious financial straits with regard to the national and European fiscal situation and that budgets need to be balanced.
However, a new system of economic thinking needs to be applied to the cutting mentality that seems to be the mainstay of Government.
As a former student I wish to testify to the high standard of educational achievement that is provided through St Angela’s at undergraduate, post-graduate and adult education level. A merger of these colleges, from two different parts of the country, will seriously diminish the provision of education in this region. The loss of jobs and infrastructure from such a decision does not make sense after so much recent investment.
There is a case to be made, not for centralisation of education provision into six centres of excellence, but for the wider regionalisation of education provision into areas where more rather than fewer students may experience higher education. – Yours, etc,