Madam, - April Cronin (February 11th) questions DIT's commitment to music tuition and suggests that fees charged by the institute may place music outside the range of Dublin families. I would like to make the following points.
The conservatory provides part-time music students with one-to-one tuition; musicianship classes; participation in a range of ensembles, choirs and orchestras; and funds a fee-waiver scheme to assist students in economic need. The fees for this provision are currently equivalent to €4 an hour, and the last significant increase was in 1997.
As with all publicly-funded educational institutions, DIT is facing budgetary restrictions this year. Very welcome new social legislation in relation to part-time workers could add up to €2 million to DIT's part-time salary bill. All faculties are currently reviewing costs with the aim of providing the highest standard of education to the greatest number of students.
Whatever budgetary decisions have to be taken in the future, DIT will continue to provide the widest possible access to its programmes, in keeping with its non-elitist traditions, and will not prioritise any one area of study at the expense of any other.
On the wider issue of music education nationally, the President of DIT believes there is an urgent need for a more integrated approach to performing arts education in Ireland. Even with a far more generous budget allocation than is anticipated, DIT could provide music tuition for only a relatively small proportion of the population.
To genuinely widen and deepen access, Dr Brendan Goldsmith has called on the Ministers for Education and Science and for Arts, Sport and Tourism to develop a meaningful national policy on music education, involving all of the major providers and integrating music into the broader curriculum. - Yours, etc.,
MELDA SLATTERY,
DIT Public Affairs Office,
Upper Pembroke Street,
Dublin 2.