Sir, – For centuries, our understanding of a university has been a centre of academic excellence. The Department of Further and Higher Education does not need to look far in its investigation into grade inflation (“New inquiry after first-class degrees up 50 per cent”, News, November 15th).
It used to be that only the top performing 5 per cent or less were awarded firsts. It was a recognition of excellence, of pride in achievement. I attended a graduation ceremony recently where the graduates were called to the rostrum in alphabetical order. Where’s the pride in achievement recognised there? With the blessing of the department, a malaise has set in. So much for the Minister’s understanding of “academic excellence”. Maybe pride is a woke concept.
I don’t need to be an engineer to understand that if I add a strong cup of coffee to a weak cup of coffee, I do not get two cups of strong coffee. Yet this Department of Further and Higher Education thinks that by attaching weaker former institutes of technology to stronger institutes of technology, we will get larger and stronger institutions. If it is just a numbers game, we should retitle our secondary schools as “universities”.
What is the Minister’s understanding of “centre”? A body of academics, assembled over the years from different disciplines, are a resource. They feed off one another by frequent formal and informal contact. The presence of these experts provides that resource for higher achievement among younger colleagues who mine the convenient accessibility and guidance to develop their own academic growth. This is what should be meant by having a centre. The current Minister has been quoted as preferring to see the new universities in multiple campuses with no centre.
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He would dilute the expertise for cheap political gain.
This malady of devaluation of pride in academic excellence is now not confined to the new universities. It has spread into our finest and most ancient universities also. – Yours, etc,
Dr PATRICK SHERIDAN, CEng
Waterford City.