TCD Provost calls for more university funding



Dr Patrick Prendergast... Pic Google Images



In his inaugural address, Dr Patrick Prendergast, the new Provost of Trinity College Dublin, appealed to the Government to take a fresh look at the way it funds higher education in Ireland.

The appeal comes as many of the top universities in the country have fallen in the world rankings. UCD and TCD have dropped in the rankings. NUIG has fallen a dramatic 66 places to 428^th in the world. UCC and DCU were the only Irish universities to thwart this trend by rising slightly in the rankings (see Mark Kelly’s article in Sin, Volume 13 Issue 1).

In the address, the Provost claimed that Trinity College will not be able to compete on the world stage in higher education if government funding continues to be allocated to each university based on the total number of students in all the other universities:

‘It’s only about numbers. So much so, that one commentator talks about ‘headage’ payments.’

Instead of this system, he proposes that universities are encouraged to act in terms of quality, not quantity. This will prevent the practice of ‘herding’ in students without having the resources to cater for them.

In response to these comments, Galway West TD Sean Kyne defended the current system of university funding:

‘The Provost would be looking from TCD’s point of view that because they are the highest ranked university so they should get more money. The present system of allocation is more true and fair rather than basing it on world rankings. World rankings are difficult to validate or verify. It would lead to other universities having reductions in their allocations and that would be unfair.’

In his address Dr Prendergast also claimed that third level education in Ireland is constrained but these limitations can be lifted with government action:

‘I need to have flexibility and decision making powers- the same flexibility that other presidents of leading universities can count on’

The Provost believes that only when presidents of Irish universities can granted these powers can their higher education institutions compete internationally and generate employment.

Dr Prendergast also advocates the re-introduction of university fees for those who can afford them. He claims that the public has no right to burden future generations with today’s university fees.

Published in Sin (NUIG's Student Newspaper) 27th September 2011