€130m increase in core current funding and €104m lift in capital investment required.
Future economic competitiveness threatened by government inaction.
Budget 2019 must be used to inject essential resources into our universities according to Jim Miley Director General of the Irish Universities Association.
“This Budget must urgently address the underlying quality issues arising from a decade of underfunding as well as building capacity to absorb the significant growth in student numbers. We are seeking an increase of €130m in core current funding and €104m in essential capital upgrades in 2019. State funding per student now is just half what it was ten years ago.”
“It is now 725 days since the Cassells Report was published and the sector cannot continue to deliver without the politicians of Ireland grasping the funding challenge for the university sector. Already this year, we have seen a decline in our position in international ranking systems. Without significant additional investment, universities cannot enhance their efforts to improve access and better respond to skills needs across the economy.”
The Cassells report, Investing in National Ambition, set out a clear rationale and strategy for the future funding of higher education and a choice of options to achieve that. The funding requirements for the sector, as laid out by Cassells, includes the following key elements:
- An additional €600 million per annum in core funding by 2021 as compared with 2015
- A capital investment programme of €5.5 billion by 2030
Jim Miley continued: “Budget 2018 brought a welcome but modest initial increase in core funding for higher level. However, the gap in core funding to 2021, based on the Cassells analysis, remains in excess of €550 million. That is a massive gap! It is essential that this funding gap is bridged if there is to be any meaningful progress on achieving the Government’s ambition to have a ‘best in Europe’ higher education system. Or to put it more bluntly, failure to bridge the gap leaves Ireland trailing behind competing nations.”
The €130m increase for core current funding for universities for Budget 2019 is comprised of €90m investment in capacity and quality and €40m to meet known unavoidable cost increases in 2019 arising from national pay awards and other centrally imposed cost increases.
The additional capital investment of €104m is required to address critical upgrades of essential equipment and infrastructure in order to provide facilities appropriate to the 2019 needs of students. The legacy of a decade-long neglect of essential repair and maintenance due to lack of money has resulted in a catalogue of ‘red-letter’ health and safety-related issues to be dealt with in university facilities. Failure to address the extensive refurbishment requirements at this point will inevitably lead to far more extensive costs in the medium term as capital stock may deteriorate beyond repair and may require complete replacement.
“Universities have a crucial role in producing the talent pool for the growing knowledge economy. This not only includes satisfying the skills needs of the workforce, but also seeding the creativity and innovation of the economy through an expanding world class research system. The Cassells Report provided an expertly researched and presented roadmap. We are calling on politicians across the Oireachtas to stop kicking the can down the road and to address the problem now. Failure to do so will damage students’ prospects and threaten the future competitiveness of the economy” Jim Miley concluded.
Méadú €130m sa bhunmhaoiniú reatha ag teastáil chomh maith le méadú €104m san infheistíocht chaipitiúil.
Iomaíochas eacnamaíoch sa todhchaí i mbaol mar thoradh ar an easpa gnímh ón rialtais.
Ní mór úsáid a bhaint as Cáinaisnéis 2019 le hacmhainní riachtanacha a chur ar fáil dár n-ollscoileanna dar le Jim Miley, Ard-Stiúrthóir Chumann Ollscoileanna Éireann.
“Ní mór aghaidh a thabhairt ar bhuncheisteanna cáilíochta sa Cháinaisnéis seo agus é sin a dhéanamh ar bhonn práinne, ceisteanna a d’eascair as an tearcmhaoiniú le deich mbliana anuas. Chomh maith leis sin, teastaíonn uainn an cumas a fhorbairt chun freastal ar an ardú suntasach atá tagtha ar líon na mac léinn. Tá méadú €130m i mbunmhaoiniú reatha á lorg againn sa bhliain 2019 chomh maith le méadú €104m le huasghrádú caipitiúil riachtanach a dhéanamh. Faoi láthair, níl sa mhaoiniú stáit in aghaidh an mhic léinn ach leath den mhéid a bhí ann deich mbliana ó shin.”
“Tá 725 lá caite ó foilsíodh Tuarascáil Cassells agus ní féidir leis an earnáil leanúint ar aghaidh agus na torthaí céanna a chur ar fáil mura dtugann polaiteoirí na tíre seo aghaidh ar dhúshlán an mhaoinithe in earnáil na hollscolaíochta. Tá ísliú tagtha cheana féin i mbliana ar ár n-áit sna córais rangaithe idirnáisiúnta. Ní féidir le hollscoileanna a bheith ag cur lena gcuid iarrachtaí chun an freastal a dhéanann siad ar mhic léinn a fheabhsú agus freastal níos fearr a dhéanamh ar na riachtanais scileanna ar fud an gheilleagair gan infheistíocht shuntasach bhreise.”
Leagann tuarascáil Cassells, Infheistíocht a dhéanamh in Uaillmhian Náisiúnta, bonnmhíniú agus straitéis shoiléir amach do mhaoiniú an ardoideachais sa todhchaí chomh maith le réimse roghanna atá ar fáil chun an méid sin a bhaint amach. Tá na príomhghnéithe seo a leanas san áireamh sna riachtanais mhaoinithe atá leagtha amach ag Cassells don earnáil:
- €600 milliún breise sa bhliain i mbunmhaoiniú a chur ar fáil faoin mbliain 2021 i gcomparáid leis an maoiniú a bhí ar fáil in 2015
- Clár infheistíochta caipitil ar fiú €5.5 billiún é a chur ar fáil faoin mbliain 2030
Chuir Jim Miley leis an méid sin: “Cuireadh fáilte i gCáinaisnéis 2018 roimh mhéadú réasúnta beag ar an mbunmhaoiniú don ardoideachas. Mar sin féin, bunaithe ar anailís Cassells, tá bearna de €550 milliún fós sa bhunmhaoiniú suas go dtí 2021. Sin bearna ollmhór! Tá sé riachtanach go laghdófaí an bhearna sin má tá dul chun cinn ar bith le déanamh chun aidhm an rialtais a bhaint amach agus ‘an córas ardoideachais’ is fearr san Eoraip a bheith againn. Gan fiacail a chur ann, mura ndúntar an bhearna beidh Éire chun deiridh ar na náisiúin atá in iomaíocht linn.”
San áireamh sa €130m de mhéadú ar an mbunmhaoiniú reatha do na hollscoileanna i gcáinaisnéis 2019 tá infheistíocht de €90m i gcumas agus i gcáilíocht chomh maith le €40m le freastal ar arduithe costais nach féidir a sheachaint sa bhliain 2019, arduithe a eascraíonn as íocaíochtaí pá náisiúnta agus arduithe costais eile a chuirtear i bhfeidhm go lárnach.
Tá an infheistíocht chaipitiúil bhreise de €130m ag teastáil le huasghrádú criticiúil a dhéanamh ar threalamh agus ar bhonneagar riachtanach ionas gur féidir na hacmhainní cuí a chur ar fáil le freastal ar riachtanais na mac léinn sa bhliain 2019. Tá sraith de cheisteanna sláinte agus sábháilteachta suntasacha le réiteach laistigh d’áiseanna ollscoile mar thoradh ar dheich mbliana den fhaillí atá déanta ar dheisiú agus ar chothabháil de bharr easpa airgid. Má theipeann orainn aghaidh a thabhairt ar na riachtanais athchóirithe ag an bpointe seo beidh costais i bhfad níos airde le clúdach sa mheántéarma toisc gur féidir le stoc caipitil dul in éag. Má tharlaíonn sin, seans nach bhféadfaí caoi a chur air agus go mbeadh stoc iomlán nua le ceannach le cur ina áit.
“Tá ról ríthábhachtach ag Ollscoileanna maidir le stór tallainne a sholáthar don gheilleagar eolasbhunaithe, geilleagar atá ag fás. Ní hamháin go mbíonn riachtanais scileanna an fhórsa oibre le sásamh ach tá spreagadh le tabhairt do chruthaitheacht agus do nuálaíocht an gheilleagair trí chóras taighde den chéad scoth a fhás. Chuir Tuarascáil Cassells treochlár ar fáil atá bunaithe ar shaineolas agus leagtha amach ag saineolaí. Táimid ag iarraidh ar pholaiteoirí ar fud an Oireachtais gan an cheist seo a chur ar an méar fhada arís agus aghaidh a thabhairt ar an bhfadhb anois. Má theipeann orthu an méid sin a dhéanamh, déanfar dochar d’ionchais na mac léinn agus beidh iomaíochas an gheilleagair sa todhchaí i mbaol,” a dúirt Jim Miley mar fhocal scoir.