THE HEAD of the union representing colleges has launched a strong attack on former education minister Batt O’Keeffe.
Mike Jennings, general secretary of the Irish Federation of University Teachers, welcomed the new Minister for Education and Skills, Mary Coughlan, and wished her well.
But he also told delegates to the IFUT annual conference: “It is tempting to remark that under the heading of understanding the higher education system and how it works, she could hardly fail to be an improvement on her predecessor,” a reference to Mr O’Keeffe.
The criticism reflects anger among some university staff at Mr O’Keeffe’s focus on grade inflation and academic standards in Irish higher education.
The former minister launched an inquiry into grade inflation after US multinationals raised concerns about the quality of graduates.
Mr Jennings asked delegates this weekend: “Who do you think is better able to speak knowledgeably about an issue such as grade inflation – the people who work in the system all their lives and days, or the chief executives of two multinational companies?’’
Mr Jennings also delivered a message to Ms Coughlan: “You have had a torrid time in your last portfolio. You must be glad to be out of there, and I am sure it will be very tempting to use the last two years you will have as a Cabinet Minister to make your mark in education. But please do not rush in. Please consult with the stakeholders. Please listen, and please do not go for stunts or cheap fixes.”
In his address, Kieran Mulvey, chief executive of the Labour Relations Commission, defended the Croke Park deal, which has been rejected by IFUT and by the executive of two other teaching unions.
He said the deal was the best deal that could be achieved. It provides three crucial safeguards – no further pay cuts, no compulsory redundancies and no outsourcing without agreement.
On education, Mr Mulvey said he was not an advocate of the introduction of multinational business practices within third-level education, nor did he believe in the Prof Ed Walsh school of “edunomics” or the creation of “management clusters” around university presidents.
“I do believe, however, that performance and achievement indicators are necessary and that the highest benchmarks are achieved. Whether we like it or not we are simply going to have to do more with less, for a number of years to come, in Ireland.”
IFUT president, Dr Hugh Gibbons of Trinity College Dublin, warned that the university sector will be ruined by the latest cuts in the core grant. Trinity College is set to lose €27 million out of their core grant of €105 million, he claimed.