The higher-education sector in Ireland is grossly underfunded. This is having a major impact on students and staff.

In May 2022, Government published a plan, Funding the Future, which promised an additional €307 million in core funding annually.

The Presidents and Governing Authority Chairs from the eight member universities of the Irish Universities Association have written to An Taoiseach, An Tánaiste and four government Ministers seeking measures in this year’s budget to address the funding shortfall.

Here, also, is the text of an email from Provost Linda Doyle to Trinity’s students, staff and alumni on 28 September 2023:

(Tá leagan Gaeilge thíos.) 

Dear College community, 

As you are well aware, the higher-education sector in Ireland is grossly underfunded. This has major consequences for us and is constantly frustrating our ambitions for Trinity. 

It is having a huge impact on our students and staff, our research and teaching, and our student supports. 

The Government accepts the sector is underfunded and, in May 2022, published a plan which promised an additional €307 million in core funding annually. But where is it? 

In partnership with the Irish Universities Association (IUA), we have been trying to get the Government to honour this promise in the forthcoming budget (10 October). We have even suggested a mechanism to achieve this, as you will see in the letter I have attached. 

And yet, in recent days it has become absolutely clear that additional pressure must be brought to bear if this Government is to ever realise its promise of delivering this additional €307 million annually. 

I am now asking that we all raise our voices in pushing the Government to deliver on its promise to finally address the chronic underfunding of our sector in the upcoming budget. 

We are often told by politicians that they do not hear about this issue ‘on the doorsteps’. This must change. Even if you do not have a vote, your voice matters so please make your voice heard. 

Can you please contact your public representatives about this? You can find their contact details here. 

And it is important too that the Minister with responsibility for higher education hears from as many of us as possible: Minister Simon Harris.  

Another budget cannot be allowed to come and go without meaningful improvement for our sector on core funding. Core funding is absolutely essential to delivering the conditions that will allow us to achieve our ambitions. 

Here are a few key points to keep in mind when engaging with public representatives: 

  • Ireland’s higher education system is grossly underfunded by international standards.  This has been highlighted by the OECD, and the European University Association “Public Funding Observatory”.  
  • Action to address both the cost of education for students and the deficit in core funding is essential. There is little point in making it more affordable for students to go to college if they are entering under-funded, financially stressed universities. 
  • Our students are suffering: we hear reports daily about the impact of the accommodation crisis, about over-stretched student services, and stipends that struggle to meet the current cost of living crisis. 
  • Our staff are suffering: workloads are mounting, our infrastructure is ageing, and our facilities cannot keep pace with the world’s best. 
  • Our teaching is suffering due to increasing class sizes and new digital opportunities beyond our financial reach.   
  • The Government’s progress is painfully slow on delivering the €307M annual shortfall in core funding it identified in 2022. In last year’s budget, only €40M additional was provided in core funding. At that rate, it will take eight years to bridge this gap! We can’t wait. 
  • For your information, attached is a recent letter sent to Government from the eight IUA Presidents. 

As a community of 22,000 students, 4,000 staff and 138,000 alumni we must raise our voices for higher education in Ireland. Government must take immediate action if they really care about higher education in Ireland and the future of our country.  

Ní neart go cur le chéile, 

Linda 

 

A phobal Ollscoile,

Mar is eol duit go maith, tá an earnáil ardoideachais in Éirinn go mór gan mhaoiniú. Baineann iarmhairtí móra leis sin agus tá sé de shíor ag cur isteach ar ár n-uaillmhianta do Choláiste na Tríonóide.

Tá tionchar ollmhór aige ar ár mic léinn agus ár bhfoireann, ar ár dtaighde agus ár dteagasc, agus ar ár dtacaíochtaí do mhic léinn.

Glacann an Rialtas leis go bhfuil tearcmhaoiniú á dhéanamh ar an earnáil agus, i mí na Bealtaine 2022, d’fhoilsigh sé plean inar gealladh €307 milliún breise i mbunchistiú gach bliain. Ach cá bhfuil sé?

I gcomhar le Cumann Ollscoileanna Éireann (COÉ), tá iarrachtaí á ndéanamh againn ionas go gcomhlíonfadh an Rialtas an gealltanas seo sa bhuiséad atá le teacht (10 Deireadh Fómhair). Tá meicníocht molta againn fiú chun é seo a bhaint amach, mar a fheicfidh tú sa litir atá faoi iamh.

Agus mar sin féin, le laethanta beaga anuas, tá sé ríshoiléir go gcaithfear brú breise a chur má tá an Rialtas chun beart a dhéanamh de réir a bhriathair riamh agus €307 milliún breise a sheachadadh gach bliain.

Tá mé ag iarraidh anois go labhróimis go léir amach chun brú a chur ar an Rialtas a ghealltanas a chomhlíonadh maidir le haghaidh a thabhairt ar deireadh thiar ar thearcmhaoiniú seasta inár n-earnáil sa bhuiséad atá le teacht.

Deir polaiteoirí linn go minic nach gcloiseann siad faoin gceist seo ‘ag an doras’. Ní mór é seo a athrú. Fiú mura bhfuil vóta agat, tá do ghuth tábhachtach agus ní mór é a chur in iúl, le do thoil.

An féidir leat teagmháil a dhéanamh le d’ionadaithe poiblí faoi seo, le do thoil? Gheobhaidh tú a gcuid sonraí teagmhála anseo.

Agus tá sé tábhachtach freisin go gcloisfidh an tAire atá freagrach as an ardoideachas ón oiread sin againn agus is féidir: An tAire Simon Harris.

Ní féidir buiséad eile gabháil thart gan feabhas suntasach a bheith i gceist dár n-earnáil maidir le bunchistiú. Tá bunchistiú go hiomlán riachtanach chun na coinníollacha a chruthú ina mbeimid in ann ár n-uaillmhianta a bhaint amach. 

Seo roinnt pointí tábhachtacha le coimeád i gcuimhne agus tú ag plé le hionadaithe poiblí:

  • Tá córas ardoideachais na hÉireann tearcmhaoinithe go mór de réir chaighdeáin idirnáisiúnta. Tá béim leagtha ag an Eagraíocht um Chomhar agus Forbairt Eacnamaíochta (ECFE) agus ag “Faireachlann um Chistiú Poiblí” de chuid Chumann Eorpach na nOllscoileanna Eorpacha air sin.
  • Tá gá le gníomhaíocht chun aghaidh a thabhairt ar chostas an oideachais do mhic léinn agus ar an easnamh sa bhunchistiú araon. Ní fiú go mór é a bheith níos inacmhainne do mhic léinn freastal ar an gcoláiste má tá siad ag dul isteach in ollscoileanna tearcmhaoinithe, atá faoi strus ó thaobh airgeadais de.
  • Tá ár mic léinn ag fulaingt: cloisimid tuairiscí go laethúil faoi thionchar na géarchéime lóistín, faoi sheirbhísí mac léinn atá faoi bhrú, agus faoi stipinnithe nach leor iad sa ghéarchéim reatha costais maireachtála.
  • Tá ár bhfoireann ag fulaingt: tá ualaí oibre ag dul i méid, tá ár mbonneagar ag dul in aois, agus ní féidir lenár n-áiseanna cos a choinneáil leis na cinn is fearr ar domhan.
  • Tá ár dteagasc ag fulaingt mar gheall ar líon na ranganna a bheith ag méadú agus deiseanna digiteacha nua atá thar ár n-acmhainn airgeadais.
  • Tá dul chun cinn an Rialtais fíormhall maidir leis an easnamh bliantúil €307M sa bhunchistiú a sainaithníodh in 2022 a sheachadadh. I mbuiséad na bliana seo caite, níor cuireadh ach €40M  breise ar fáil i mbunchistiú. Ag an ráta sin, glacfaidh sé ocht mbliana an bhearna seo a líonadh! Ní féidir linn fanacht. 
  • Mar eolas duit, tá litir faoi iamh a sheol an t-ochtar Uachtarán COÉ chuig an Rialtas le déanaí.

Mar phobal de 22,000 mac léinn, 4,000 ball foirne agus 138,000 céimí, ní mór dúinn labhairt amach go hard ar son an ardoideachais in Éirinn. Ní mór don Rialtas gníomhú láithreach má tá fíorshuim acu san ardoideachas in Éirinn agus i dtodhchaí ár dtíre.

Ní neart go cur le chéile, 

Linda