Sir, - Do we have to await the return of Mary O'Rourke to have DIT given university status? It is, I think, generally accepted that the education market will in the next few years become increasingly competitive and if DIT is to survive and thrive, as I believe it can, why should it be expected to do so with one hand tied behind its back? Will Brussels continue to pump money into the system or as I suspect, increasingly expect (and rightly so!) that such institutions function effectively without undue support?
We have in DIT Cathal Brugha Street one of the finer hotel schools in Europe; we have a general acknowledgement from most member-states that tourism is the industry of growth and opportunity; the hotel graduates from Cathal Brugha Street are highly regarded and much sought after by the industry at home. Why should we lower their status in the eyes of the industry abroad, and in particular the multinationals who are not familiar with the vagaries of the Irish system?
Niamh Breathnach, this is your opportunity to make a difference. - Yours, etc.,
Connemara Gateway Hotel, Oughterard, Co Galway.