There is a disturbing possibility that the Government does not understand what a university is and how it functions, writes Roger Downer.
The pivotal role of universities in determining the economic, social and cultural welfare of nations is widely acknowledged. Consequently, governments around the world are seeking to strengthen the university sector and Luxembourg recently established the first university in the history of the state in order to ensure national competitiveness.
By contrast, the university sector in Ireland is struggling to adjust to an effective 10 per cent cut in funding and considering survival strategies which may involve further reductions in staff, reduced services and abandonment of some programmes.
The basis for this draconian treatment of the sector warrants exploration and, at the outset, it must be assumed that the cuts do not indicate dismissal by Government of the importance of universities. Indeed, various Government spokespersons have affirmed the essential role of universities in delivery of a range of national programmes and the laudable investment by Government in university research attests to the ongoing contribution of universities towards the national research agenda. Furthermore, the availability of well-educated graduates was a key factor in attracting inward investment to Ireland during the past decade and, as competition for such investment intensifies, it is unlikely that the Government would wish to discourage investors through policies that weaken the sector.
Therefore, other reasons must be advanced to account for the Government's treatment of universities and it is possible that these are based on misconceptions about the true state and nature of universities. For example, it has been suggested that universities hold substantial cash reserves. For most, if not all, Irish universities, this claim is without foundation. Institutional accounts are scrutinised by the Comptroller and Auditor General and any surplus would be quickly exposed. Furthermore, even if such reserves were available, it would require about €7,000 per student a year to bring Irish universities up to the level of support provided in the UK.
The effective cuts in university spending could also be fuelled by the myth that universities are inefficient and staffed by lecturers who teach just a few hours a week, rarely revise or update lecture notes, engage in minimal research and enjoy long holidays. Fortunately, such individuals are rare in the modern Irish university, though the perception persists. The effectiveness of teaching and learning in academic programmes is assessed annually through student and alumni surveys, and workshops are held to help teachers improve teaching quality and to introduce them to innovative pedagogic and assessment techniques. Additionally, a panel of external examiners ensures the consistency of high academic standards between indigenous institutions and international competitors. At the level of research, funding is provided on a competitive basis and research findings are subjected to rigorous review by international experts before they are accepted for publication.
Many of these initiatives were introduced by the universities themselves and the results belie outdated myths about inefficiency.
There is also the disturbing possibility that the Government does not understand what a university is and how it functions. From time to time, statements are made that perceive universities as an extension of primary and secondary schools in which students sit at desks and learn what teachers tell them. Apart from indicating a narrow perception of what schools do, this view of universities could not be further from the truth.
Society does not need graduates who have absorbed knowledge like sponges, so that some of it can be squeezed out later when needed. Rather, modern Ireland needs graduates who can use knowledge productively to provide innovative and effective solutions to problems and, thereby, enrich the intellectual capital of their communities and organizations. The world progresses through the challenge, revision and redefinition of existing dogma and, from this new understanding, emerge new technologies, new approaches to social services, new economic models and new creative works. The university provides an environment in which teachers and students can engage in this process through an ongoing process of discovery, reappraisal and restatement of knowledge. However, it cannot fulfil this role if it is deprived of the resources required to sustain such activity.
The budgetary cuts imposed by the Government are difficult to understand, at variance with international trends and will impose severe constraints on the ability of the sector to help meet the challenge of international competition.
The upcoming year will be difficult but, as in the past, the sector will continue to serve the needs of Irish society to the best of its ability and assist in further development of a globally successful knowledge-based economy.
However, a starved sector is not sustainable in the long term and the support provided by the Government must be increased to a realistic level to ensure Ireland's progress into the future.
Roger Downer is president and vice-chancellor of the University of Limerick