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THERE NEEDS TO be a ‘robust public discourse’ on Ireland’s education system, the Teachers’ Union of Ireland has said.
TUI General Secretary John MacGabhann spoke at a TUI seminar on Higher Education issues in Dublin yesterday, where on behalf of the the union he urged that caution should be exercised in making any changes to third level education.
The union – which represents 3,500 lecturers in the sector - has also warned that technological university status may not be appropriate for all Institutes of Technology.
University Lecturers
New research has shown that Irish university lecturers work slightly longer hours compared to their European counterparts. Irish lecturers work on average 50 hours a week, compared to 48.
The TUI said that:
Institute lecturers teach 18 to 20 hours per week where the international norm is 10 to 12. For each hour of teaching, a multiple is also spent in evaluation and preparation.
It added that included in a lengthy list of other academic responsibilities are research, devising and updating syllabi on an on-going basis, course development and planning and extensive assessment.
The TUI said that student numbers have increased by 20 per cent over a four year period when lecturer numbers were stripped back by 8 per cent.
Institute lecturers have never found themselves more stretched to meet the demands of a vastly increasing and diverse student cohort with significantly reduced resources. Robust public discourse on our education system is acceptable and indeed necessary. The spreading of blatant falsehoods about those working within it are not.
Restructuring
MacGabhann also spoke about the restructuring of Irish higher education institutions is required, such as the suggestion of clustering and amalgamations in the Institute of Technology sector.
It may well be the case that technological university status would be appropriate for some of the institutes but it is by no means clear that it would be appropriate for all.
He added: “It is not good enough to make a second rate university of a first rate institute. Clearly, this would not serve the students, the region, the economy or our society.”
TUI advises that institutes should proceed with caution, making sure that they retain what is best in them, that they do not substitute a nominal status for genuine educational stature.
The union insists on the “full and robust involvement” of its members in any process of structural change.
Higher Education Authority
The general secretary also said that the HEA “clearly is charged with making decisions that have profound industrial relations implications”.
However, when approached, the HEA will primly state that it does not have an industrial relations function.
MacGabhann concluded that it is necessary for the Minister for Education to indicate where the TUI can engage with all the relevant agencies in regard to issues arising from the strategy being advanced by the HEA.
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Third time lucky my hole.
Nothing floatable about EirCON.
If the EU imposed installation and customer care standards to Eircom this company would seize to exist in a very short timespan❗️
@antonov, cease,
Not surprised….This company is going down the tubes….customer service is almost non- existent.
Absolutely correct. If there was ever a company I’d like to see wiped off the map it’s this one. They are a pure irritant. My sister called them back in January to have broadband installed. They activated the landline, came out like 2 weeks later to install it, couldn’t install due to some problem, said they put us on the ‘priority list’ to sort the problem and get back to us within another 7-10 business days. Despite multiple calls, haven’t seen or heard from them since.
Your having a laugh!
We paid for it through our taxes initially.
It was then flogged off for privatisation and we rolled in to buy some.
They then dumped us out for a fraction of what we paid when the Banksters got together.
It has limped along as Voda shares worth now nothing.
And now they intend to go to the markets again….
Boycott this money pit.
This will be embarrassing
(BREATH HOLD)………baaaaahahahahahahahahahahaha
Congratulations you have just purchased E25,000 worth of eircom shares you should see a return… And it’s gone.
Was it not Albert Einstein who defined insanity as “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”.
Caveat emptor.
Is like the Robbie Keane of the telco sector – had earned multiples of its intrinsic value in transfer fees alone.
I think I’ll be staying away …
Worst broadband in the country, awful customer service also. Anybody buying shares in this outfit will lose a fortune.
“Fool me once shame on you fool me twice shame on me fool me a third time….??… well your not going to fool me again”George w Bush
Sell the infrastructure back to the government. Even if we pay through the nose for it , at least in the long term it’ll pay off.
unless your selling copper for scrap. Fibre is were it’s at which eircom are late into the game. You’d be better starting from nothing then pay through the nose for eircom.
The company should be split in two… Eirgrid should be made managers of the cables and poles while the call service should be sold off.
Catch me once, shame on you. Catch me twice, shame on me. Catch me a third time – someone is really out to take the p1ss.
They need to just cease to exist at this stage!!
have your say