Madam, - In his review of 2007 (Education Today, December 11th) Sean Flynn refers to the "unexpected but still very pleasant surprise" that Irish universities have improved their rankings in league tables. He says that "the improved rankings were very good news for the so-called reformers in the university sector" (the heads). "Here was tangible evidence that those painful reforms - which involved rationalising faculties and departments - are reaping dividends."
The heads of Irish universities successfully made their case to the Review Body on Higher Remuneration in the Public Sector that they were "no longer academics" (Section 16.15, Report No. 42). The heads of Irish universities having so opted out of academic life, it is strange to see them credited with the achievements of those who remained academics.
It is also interesting to note that the review body notes it was "informed by the Department of Education and Science that since the last review in 2001, a number of additional posts have been created in universities immediately below the level of President, with titles such as Vice President or Head of College. These posts are not among those we have been asked to examine in the present review but we may be requested to examine them at a later stage. It has been suggested to us that an assessment of the changes in the responsibilities of university Heads should take account of the support provided by the newly created senior posts. We consider that this is a valid argument" (16.19).
The creation of these posts has diverted substantial amounts of money from education to bureaucracy. The new managerial class in Irish universities has targeted undergraduates in general and the humanities in particular. It has undermined the democratic institutions of the universities by managerialism.
It has diverted funds from tuition in areas of high student numbers to areas designated by the managerial class as "strategic", "cutting edge", "world class", "state-of-the art", etc in managerial jargon The vast majority of students are worse off under this managerialism.
The high rankings of Irish universities are a sign of their
resilience in the face of the current wave of crude managerialism,
which in the interests of the wider Irish society and economy could
not end soon enough. - Yours, etc,
Dr SEAN BARRETT,
Department of Economics,
Trinity College,
Dublin 2.