Employment
and learning Minister, Stephen Farry, discussed proposed course closures and
job losses at the Coleraine campus of the Ulster University during today’s
Question Time. While the Department sets funding and the strategic direction
for the Higher Education sector, universities are autonomous and responsible
for how their budget is deployed including course provision and staffing
levels. The Minister has also redirected a portion of student fee income back
in to universities to ease the effects of budget cuts and assist less
advantaged students. The University has already released
details of job losses, the severity of which shows the significant impact
of cuts faced by the Department. A review of course provision is good business
practice as student demand, needs of the economy and the strategic aims of the
Department are used to determine which areas and courses may be affected. As
unpalatable as some decisions may appear, trust has to be given to universities
that they are making cuts in the most prudent areas and in the most efficient
manner.
In a similar
vein, Daithi McKay MLA asked the Minister for an update on the Department’s
efforts to address the funding challenge facing further education (FE) colleges
and higher education (HE) institutions. The Minister pointed to the extra £20m
secured in the June Monitoring round for skills development as a measure of his
commitment to HE institutions. Colleges have taken advantage of the Voluntary
Exit Scheme in an attempt to alleviate pressures caused by the cuts. The
Minister has also taken measures “to protect front line services as far as
possible”. Colleges have also increased the fees for recreational courses to
mitigate cuts in other areas. Mr Farry also released around £8m in spending
power over the coming years by reducing the minimum level of reinvestment in
widening participation programmes from 20% to 10% of student fee income.
Additionally the Minister has also launched the HE Big
Conversation “to involve as many people as possible in shaping our own
unique solution to supporting Higher Education going forward.” Once complete,
the Minister will take stock of all options and present them to the Executive.
During
Question Time the Minister also answered questions on teacher training and the
impact of foreign labour on young people not in employment, education or
training. This was followed by a period of topical questions in which the
Minister continued to answer questions on the Disability Employment Strategy,
grant parental leave for childcare, cuts to the tax credit system and the
National Disability Authority Conference.
