The revelation that NUIG is sitting on a cash warchest of €57m and at the same time playing the poor mouth in search of public funding is outrageous, according to Sinn Féin Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh.
The Galway West - South Mayo Senator, who is a member of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills, says:
"It is extraordinary to hear NUIG President Jim Browne and his counterparts in the Irish Universities Foundation call on the state to pump scarce taxpayers cash into the third level system when they are sitting on mountains of investment funding and concealing it in their accounts to the HEA.
"When the IUA appeared before the committee in November in relation to the Cassells Report on the Future Funding of Third Level Institutions, their Chair Don Barry called for an immediate injection of seventy five million euro (€75m) in recurrent funding for universities and thirty million euro (€30m) in capital. NUIG alone could provide that for the whole sector from their own reserves and charge them interest on it!
"They cited the need to invest in improved student staff ratios, smaller tutorial groups, more one-to-one contact with students, more project work, enhanced feedback and more time to engage in diverse learning styles and to support at risk students.
"The IUA group also highlighted the need for investment in support services such as library and information services, student guidance and counselling – and the necessary capital funding to support all of this. Sinn Féin concurs with much of this analysis but the question is why are the universities not investing this themselves and where is the money they have being spent?
"The Cassells Report outlines the case for Income Contingent Loans for funding third level institutions, where students would have to repay for their education when they start earning. Sinn Féin believes that this a flawed model which has failed elsewhere and that it would penalise those who most need support in accessing third level. Therefore it is not a model we support.
"NUIG and their counterparts also need to come clean on payments being made from their private trusts and foundations to senior staff members, in payments supplementary to salaries and whether or not they are compliant with procurement and other accounting guidelines as they should be.
"I have been consistent in saying that we need far more transparency in the funding of NUIG and other third level institutions and we must ensure that taxpayers money is being spent on providing a high quality and beneficial education experience for students within a top quality and equitable working environment for all staff and not just a chosen few in a golden circle at the top of the pyramid".
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Tá sé scannallach go bhfuil Ollscoil na hÉireann Gaillimh ag suí ar charnán airgid de €57m agus ag an am céanna an déanamh an béal bocht agus iad ar thóir tuilleadh airgead ón gcáiníocóir, dar le Seanadóir Shinn Féin, Trevor Ó Clochartaigh.
Deir Seanadóir Ghaillimh Thiar - Maigh Eo theas, atá mar bhall don Chomhchoiste Oireachtais ar Oideachas & Scileanna:
"Tá sé dochreidte a bheith ag éisteacht le hUachtarán OÉG Jim Browne agus a chomhleacaithe sa bhFondúireacht Ollscoileanna Éireannacha (IUA) ag impí go gcuirfí breis airgead gann cáiniocóra isteach sa gcóras oideachais triú leibhéal nuair atá siad féin suite ar chnocáin mhaoinithe agus iad dhá cheilt ina gcuid cuntais ón Áisíneacht um Ardoideachais.
"Nuair a thainig an IUA os comhair an chomhchoiste i mí na Samhna maidir le tuairisc Cassells faoi na riachtanais maoinithe sa Todhchaí do na hInstititiúid Tríú Leibhéal, d'fhiafraigh a gCathaoirleach Don Barry go dtabharfaí ardú láithreach de seachtó cúig milliún euro in aghaidh na bliana,ó thaobh maoiniú de do na hollscoileanna agus €30m d'infheistíocht chaipitil. D'fhéadfadh OÉG sin a chur ar fáil don earnáil óna gcúlchistí féin agus ús dá réir a bhaint díbh!
"Luaigh said an gá maidir le h-infheistíocht a dhéanamh chun an coibhneas macléinn teagascóra a laghdú, grúpaí staidéir nios lú a bheith ann, níos mó teagmhála duine ar dhuine a chumasú, maraon le breis obair thionscadail, aischothú níos mó agus níos mó ama a chuir ar fail chun stíleanna foghlamtha ilchineálach éagsúla a fhorbairt agus chun tacú le micléinn i mbaol.
"Léirigh ionadaithe an IUA freisin an gá le h-infheistíocht bhreise a dhéanamh i seirbhísí tacaíochta ar nós seirbhísí breise leabharlainne agus faisnéise, comhairleoireacht agus gairmtreoir do mhicléinn - agus an maoiniú riachtanach caiptil a sholáthar chuige seo. Aontaíonn Sinn Féin le cuid mhaith den anailís seo, ach an cheist mhór ná cén fáth nach bhfuil na hollscoileanna ag déanamh an infheistíocht seo iad féin agus cá gcaitear an t-airgead mór a fhaigheann siad?
"Déanann tuarascáil Cassells léiriú ar an gcás maidir le hIasachtai ag Brath ar Ioncam chun maoiniú a dhéanamh ar an earnáil oideachais tríú leibhéal, áit a mbíonn ar mhicléinn aisíoc a dhéanamh ar a gcuid oideachais nuair a thosaíonn said ag tuilleadh airgead. Creideann Sinn Féin gur cur chuige fabhtach atá anseo a bhfuil teipthe ar in áiteanna eile agus go leagann sé píonós níos mó ar an dream is mó a dteastaíonn cabhair uathu chun tabhairt faoi chúrsaí tríú leibhéal. Dá bhrí sin, ní cur chuige é a dtacaíonn muid leis.
"Caithfidh OÉG agus a gcuid macasamhail a bheith i bhfad níos oscailte maidir le h-íocaíochtaí a dhéantar óna gcuid fondúireachtaí agus cistí phríobháideacha chuig baill foirne sinsearacha, mar íocaíochtaí sa bhreis ar thuarastail agus cén fáth nach bhfuil siad ag cloí le deá-chleachtais maidir le ceannacháin agus rialacha eile atá leagtha amach dóibh.
"Is fada mé ag rá go bhfuil gá le trédhearcacht i bhfad níos mó maidir le maoiniú OÉG agus forais eile triú leibhéil agus caithfidh muid cinntiú go bhfuiltear ag caitheamh airgead an cháiníocóra ar eispeiréas oideachais den chéad scoth do mhicléinn, in aeráid oibre chothrom, d'ardchaighdeán don fhoireann ar fad agus ní díreach don dream a dtugtar aire faoi leith doibh ag barr an phirimid".
The Galway West - South Mayo Senator, who is a member of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills, says:
"It is extraordinary to hear NUIG President Jim Browne and his counterparts in the Irish Universities Foundation call on the state to pump scarce taxpayers cash into the third level system when they are sitting on mountains of investment funding and concealing it in their accounts to the HEA.
"When the IUA appeared before the committee in November in relation to the Cassells Report on the Future Funding of Third Level Institutions, their Chair Don Barry called for an immediate injection of seventy five million euro (€75m) in recurrent funding for universities and thirty million euro (€30m) in capital. NUIG alone could provide that for the whole sector from their own reserves and charge them interest on it!
"They cited the need to invest in improved student staff ratios, smaller tutorial groups, more one-to-one contact with students, more project work, enhanced feedback and more time to engage in diverse learning styles and to support at risk students.
"The IUA group also highlighted the need for investment in support services such as library and information services, student guidance and counselling – and the necessary capital funding to support all of this. Sinn Féin concurs with much of this analysis but the question is why are the universities not investing this themselves and where is the money they have being spent?
"The Cassells Report outlines the case for Income Contingent Loans for funding third level institutions, where students would have to repay for their education when they start earning. Sinn Féin believes that this a flawed model which has failed elsewhere and that it would penalise those who most need support in accessing third level. Therefore it is not a model we support.
"NUIG and their counterparts also need to come clean on payments being made from their private trusts and foundations to senior staff members, in payments supplementary to salaries and whether or not they are compliant with procurement and other accounting guidelines as they should be.
"I have been consistent in saying that we need far more transparency in the funding of NUIG and other third level institutions and we must ensure that taxpayers money is being spent on providing a high quality and beneficial education experience for students within a top quality and equitable working environment for all staff and not just a chosen few in a golden circle at the top of the pyramid".
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Tá sé scannallach go bhfuil Ollscoil na hÉireann Gaillimh ag suí ar charnán airgid de €57m agus ag an am céanna an déanamh an béal bocht agus iad ar thóir tuilleadh airgead ón gcáiníocóir, dar le Seanadóir Shinn Féin, Trevor Ó Clochartaigh.
Deir Seanadóir Ghaillimh Thiar - Maigh Eo theas, atá mar bhall don Chomhchoiste Oireachtais ar Oideachas & Scileanna:
"Tá sé dochreidte a bheith ag éisteacht le hUachtarán OÉG Jim Browne agus a chomhleacaithe sa bhFondúireacht Ollscoileanna Éireannacha (IUA) ag impí go gcuirfí breis airgead gann cáiniocóra isteach sa gcóras oideachais triú leibhéal nuair atá siad féin suite ar chnocáin mhaoinithe agus iad dhá cheilt ina gcuid cuntais ón Áisíneacht um Ardoideachais.
"Nuair a thainig an IUA os comhair an chomhchoiste i mí na Samhna maidir le tuairisc Cassells faoi na riachtanais maoinithe sa Todhchaí do na hInstititiúid Tríú Leibhéal, d'fhiafraigh a gCathaoirleach Don Barry go dtabharfaí ardú láithreach de seachtó cúig milliún euro in aghaidh na bliana,ó thaobh maoiniú de do na hollscoileanna agus €30m d'infheistíocht chaipitil. D'fhéadfadh OÉG sin a chur ar fáil don earnáil óna gcúlchistí féin agus ús dá réir a bhaint díbh!
"Luaigh said an gá maidir le h-infheistíocht a dhéanamh chun an coibhneas macléinn teagascóra a laghdú, grúpaí staidéir nios lú a bheith ann, níos mó teagmhála duine ar dhuine a chumasú, maraon le breis obair thionscadail, aischothú níos mó agus níos mó ama a chuir ar fail chun stíleanna foghlamtha ilchineálach éagsúla a fhorbairt agus chun tacú le micléinn i mbaol.
"Léirigh ionadaithe an IUA freisin an gá le h-infheistíocht bhreise a dhéanamh i seirbhísí tacaíochta ar nós seirbhísí breise leabharlainne agus faisnéise, comhairleoireacht agus gairmtreoir do mhicléinn - agus an maoiniú riachtanach caiptil a sholáthar chuige seo. Aontaíonn Sinn Féin le cuid mhaith den anailís seo, ach an cheist mhór ná cén fáth nach bhfuil na hollscoileanna ag déanamh an infheistíocht seo iad féin agus cá gcaitear an t-airgead mór a fhaigheann siad?
"Déanann tuarascáil Cassells léiriú ar an gcás maidir le hIasachtai ag Brath ar Ioncam chun maoiniú a dhéanamh ar an earnáil oideachais tríú leibhéal, áit a mbíonn ar mhicléinn aisíoc a dhéanamh ar a gcuid oideachais nuair a thosaíonn said ag tuilleadh airgead. Creideann Sinn Féin gur cur chuige fabhtach atá anseo a bhfuil teipthe ar in áiteanna eile agus go leagann sé píonós níos mó ar an dream is mó a dteastaíonn cabhair uathu chun tabhairt faoi chúrsaí tríú leibhéal. Dá bhrí sin, ní cur chuige é a dtacaíonn muid leis.
"Caithfidh OÉG agus a gcuid macasamhail a bheith i bhfad níos oscailte maidir le h-íocaíochtaí a dhéantar óna gcuid fondúireachtaí agus cistí phríobháideacha chuig baill foirne sinsearacha, mar íocaíochtaí sa bhreis ar thuarastail agus cén fáth nach bhfuil siad ag cloí le deá-chleachtais maidir le ceannacháin agus rialacha eile atá leagtha amach dóibh.
"Is fada mé ag rá go bhfuil gá le trédhearcacht i bhfad níos mó maidir le maoiniú OÉG agus forais eile triú leibhéil agus caithfidh muid cinntiú go bhfuiltear ag caitheamh airgead an cháiníocóra ar eispeiréas oideachais den chéad scoth do mhicléinn, in aeráid oibre chothrom, d'ardchaighdeán don fhoireann ar fad agus ní díreach don dream a dtugtar aire faoi leith doibh ag barr an phirimid".
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