Sir, – The lack of suitable student accommodation is at crisis point and many students may have to refuse or defer their college offers. The alternative is a daily commute to college. Even that option isn’t feasible for many students due to the long distance between home and college as well as spiralling travel costs.
Minister for Further Education Simon Harris, who has made little progress in providing extra student accommodation, is appealing to householders to provide a bedroom in their homes for students. It all sounds very ad hoc and unregulated. Who’s going to assess the suitability and safety of any such offered accommodation? There has to be a better solution and, of course, there is.
The blended learning used so effectively during the pandemic is worth consideration. It allows students to take lectures online and make occasional daily or overnight trips to college campus for non-lecture activities. It’s not a perfect solution but it enables all students, with and without accommodation, to begin college together.
A blend of remote and in-person learning is a particularly attractive option for first-year students, most of whom won’t have a CAO offer until September 8th, when it will be close to impossible to find accommodation. Rapid advances in virtual communication have totally opened up exciting new ways for teaching and learning. College authorities must respond creatively to the accommodation crisis to ensure that those who secure a college course are enabled to avail of the opportunity to advance their education and career prospects. – Yours, etc,
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BILLY RYLE,
Tralee,
Co Kerry.