Sir, - Dr Fitzgerald's two articles on the Universities Bill raise a host of issues which will no doubt stimulate debate in advance of the Dail's consideration of the matter. It is worth commenting briefly, however, on aspects of the second article (Septmber 24th). Dr FitzGerald refers to circumstances in the UK as offering the parallel for the thrust of the Bill - hence the article's heading of "Thatcherite Bill".
It is true that there are many in Irish universities who have looked askance at higher education policy in the UK. They have listened to academics in Britain at conferences bemoaning the horrors visited upon them, and have shivered at the prospect of something similar happening in Ireland. There are some important points that should be made, however, which should contextualise the debate over the Bill.
First, there is a gathering consensus in the UK that the research assessment exercise does provide a legitimate way of identifying research quality by disciplinary peers. There is no doubt that the exercise has exposed the fact that although all academics used to be funded for research, a significant minority did no research at all. Increasingly, as a result of funding being based on the assessment exercise, staff are defined as research active or not.
Second, there is also an acknowledgement that the assessment of teaching in universities is resulting in a dramatic new emphasis on the quality of the product offered to students. Teaching, too often subservient to research, has a new priority.
Finally, far from the Universities Bill being a copy of a British Thatcherite intervention, it is fully in keeping with the new relationships being negotiated between higher education and the State in most OECD countries.
The key principles in this renegotiation are transparency and accountability. Ultimately, the taxpayer funds universities and making the institutions accountable for their use of this finance is a legitimate and democratic process. Universities which take a contrary view should seek alternative resources.
The universities in Ireland have argued persuasively for additional funding. At a time of competing priorities, the universities should accept the thrust of the Bill's purpose and confine their arguments to the detail of implementation. - Yours, etc.,
University of Ulster at
Jordanstown,
Co Antrim.