A function of the HEEU is to produce recommendations to those responsible
for ensuring equitable treatment for staff and students in Irish colleges, ie
the college authorities and key staff, Higher Education Authority, the
Government etc as appropriate. Recommendations have to date proceeded from
conferences held by the HEEU and have been drawn up in co-operation with
relevant groups, organisations and individuals.
Recommendations of the HEEU Board of Management for Action by the Colleges
and the Higher Education Authority in respect of the position of Women Staff in
Higher Education in the Republic of Ireland.
The Higher Education Equality Unit wishes to point out that although this
document relates specifically to Women Staff - arising as it does from a
conference on Women Staff in Irish Colleges which the Unit organised - many of
the recommendations in fact apply to wider issues of equality, rather than to
gender equality only. There is indeed a need for analyses and policies which
link discrimination according to gender to other discriminations, taking into
account the interplay between different forms of inequality.
The Higher Education makes the following recommendations in respect of
action by the Colleges. Each college should:
Draw up detailed Equal Opportunities Policy and Action Plan, with stated
targets.
Employ a qualified (and preferably full-time) Equality Officer to undertake
the implementation of the Equality Policy and Action Plan. The creation of an
Equal Opportunities Unit or Department might be appropriate for larger
institutions.
Establish a broad-based Equality Committee which would work in co-operation
with the Equality Officer in identifying inequalities and promoting equal
opportunities in the college.
Allocate sufficient resources to support the work of the Equality Officer
and Committee.
Incorporate equality monitoring into its quality assurance procedure.
Organise activities and staff development designed to raise awareness
throughout the college of equality issues and to encourage ownership of equal
opportunities initiatives by the whole college community.
Actively encourage a 60:40 gender balance on all college boards and
committees.
Ensure that each category of staff is represented as apropriate on boards
and committees.
Actively encourage a 60:40 gender balance on all
selection/interview/promotions panels.
Provide training to members of college staff on interview and selection
skills, including equal opportunities awareness. On a phased basis, the college
should institute a policy whereby no member of the college staff can be a
member of a selection/interview/promotion panel without having completed the
training programme. In addition, the college should develop guidelines in
relation to good recruitment practice which should be made available to all
members of panels (including external personnel).
Reassess its systems and criteria for determination of eligibility for
promotion or appointment to senior positions, in order to ensure that such
systems/criteria do not favour one group over another and that they value and
reward a range of relevant experience (eg teaching skills and experience as
well as research output for academic appointments; the in-depth knowledge of
the institution gained by staff in lower administrative positions for
appointment to senior administrative positions; the knowledge and experience
gained by long-serving catering or cleaning staff when making appointments to
supervisory positions; and so on).
Draw up and make available clear and consistent criteria for appointments
and promotions.
Avoid the exploitation of staff through inappropriate or unnecessary use of
short-term, temporary and insecure contracts.
Devise clear career paths for all staff, allowing for personal and career
development.
Re-evaluate the nature of college jobs in order to ensure that the job
requirements (eg organisation of working hours) do not unnecessarily prevent
people with significant family/care responsibilities from applying for them.
Implement strategies to enable employees to balance career and family
responsibilities.
Ensure that appropriate arrangements are made for the paid replacement of
staff who are taking maternity leave.
Actively support and encourage women who are availing of their right to
maternity leave.
Institute parental leave entitlements.
Provide creche/childcare facilities for students and staff of the college.
Adopt a policy to tackle harassment (both sexual and other), with specific
preventative measures and clear procedures for dealing with harassment cases.
The Higher Education Equality Unit makes the following recommendations in
respect of action by the Higher Education Authority.The Higher Education
Authority should:
Actively encourage colleges to address issues of equal opportunities and to
implement the above recommendations
Earmark specific funding to support and reward colleges who actively
address inequalities
Examine, and modify as necessary, its own policies and recommendations, in
order to ensure that they are not creating or perpetuating inequalities.
MATURE STUDENT IN
HIGHER EDUCATION RECOMMENDATIONS
Recommendations to the Government
In developing policy regarding mature students, it is important that policy
makers (whether at national or college level) work in partnership with adult
learners, community educators, home-school liaison officers, AONTAS,
Partnerships, VECs, and other relevant bodies, in order to draw on the enormous
expertise and knowledge which already exists. Policy makers should always
acknowledge the source of policy suggestions.
Additional resources should be directed towards existing providers of
guidance services for (potential) adult students, most notably the adult
education services of the VECs and AONTAS. Social service centres and community
centres might be used as guidance/information centres.
Part-time third-level study/students should be given greater recognition
and support. Support should include, for example: the extension of the free
fees scheme to all categories of students and all types of educational
programmes and the expansion and promotion of the NCEA/ACSS scheme.
We recommend a significant increase in the standard maintenance grant
payment, to bring it more realistically into line with the cost of living. The
possibility of an enhanced grant for mature students who had been working prior
to entering college (similar to that available in the North of Ireland) should
be considered. There should be an additional allowance for books and materials.
In considering such an increase the Department should recognise the dependent
status of many mature women students. A refusal of support from an income
provider, whose earnings are in excess of the maintenance grant limit, might
prevent a financially dependent woman from entering third-level education.
There should be recognition that the present grants system discriminates
against mature students (who are likely to receive the lower, adjacent rate)
and an ending of such discriminatory practice.
The Third Level Allowance Scheme, administered by the Department of Social
Welfare, should continue to be funded and should be more extensively promoted.
It should be extended to include low-income part-time students within its
remit.
The VTOS scheme should continue to be expanded and promoted, and should
include both full-time and part-time 'Access course' provision.
Recommendations to the Higher Education Authority
The Higher Education Equality Unit recognises the qualitative impact of
adequate information on mature student profile, entry and progression through
the education system. In order to ensure that the development of policy and
practice is underpinned and informed by adequate information, it is important
that a standardised data collection system is devised and utilised by the
registrar's office in each college with respect to the numbers of mature
students in each department, and throughout the college. Such data should
include, for example, socio-economic background, entry qualifications/route of
entry, drop-out rates, and academic records, and should be published. The HEA
should take responsibility for the collation and analysis of this data. It
should be acknowledged that the current dearth/unavailability of such data is a
hindrance to action.
The HEA should continue to offer targeted funding to individual colleges in
respect of initiatives to improve access and successful participation for
mature students. Such targeted funding should make specific provision for those
mature students from socio-economically and/or educationally disadvantaged
backgrounds. It should be recognised, however, that individual targeted funding
initiatives, though important, do not constitute a solution in their own right
to the under-representation of adult learners in third-level.
Recommendations to Colleges
Each college should develop a policy for the initiation and maintenance of
community partnerships. In order that the concept of partnership is a
meaningful one, it is essential that the value, contribution and commitment of
both formal and informal partners be recognised and acknowledged, and that the
value of formal and informal education be recognised. The development of
partnerships should include a commitment by key college staff (i.e.
decision-makers within the institutions) to meet with community representatives
in community-based settings. The process of partnership must, moreover, involve
all college departments (not only those already involved in adult education and
extra-mural courses).
Routes to College - A formal accreditation system, incorporating
recognition of prior learning and a system for transfer of credits between
institutions, needs to be developed on a national basis. Such a development
should be carried out by a partnership of relevant state agencies, community,
and adult education and college representatives. It should aim to establish
nationally-recognised standards and quality assurance mechanisms, and
recognition of parity of esteem between formal and informal learning
achievements. In developing such a system, the partnership should: a) examine
the systems developed within other EU countries and b) recognise that APL tends
to classify students, and that it is therefore necessary to develop other forms
of assessment in addition to APL.
More consistency and clarity is required in the selection process for
mature students - one which is clearly explained and extensively publicised -
should be put in place. All colleges (and departments within colleges) should
apply such a selection process. The definition of 'mature student' should be
revised to 'any student aged twenty-one years or over on entry to third-level'.
(This would be consistent with the provisions of the third-level allowance
scheme and the definition of 'mature student' used in the North of Ireland).
Nationally-recognised and certificated access courses, which would
incorporate a range of study skills techniques and educational counselling,
should be developed and recognised as a valid entry route into third-level
degree programmes. The following points should be noted.
Access courses should be available in socio-economically disadvantaged
areas throughout the country.
Access courses should cover all subject areas, and should be an appropriate
means of preparation for third-level study.
All Access courses should maintain quality standards and have national
credibility.
Access courses should be offered by all sectors - University, RTC, and
Further Education sectors. It should be clarified whether 'Access Courses'
guarantee entry to third -level. Resources must be made available in order to
enable Access courses to run.
Until such time as certificated access courses have become fully accepted
by third-level institutions, and are treated as having equal status with the
Leaving Certificate, each college faculty should provide additional places, a
minimum quota of five per cent of places on its full-time degree courses, for
socio-economically disadvantaged mature students. Such additional reserved
places should be monitored and publicised. Offers should be made available
prior to Round One CAO offers
Community-based pre-access courses should be developed and supported, again
on a partnership basis, to be located in areas of socio-economic disadvantage
where familiarity with third-level educational institutions is low. Such
courses should include preparatory skills, e.g. literacy, English as a second
language, study skills, etc., in addition to taster subject modules.
There should be an expansion of innovative teaching and learning
developments for mature students, including distance learning programmes. Care
should be taken not to become over-reliant on distance learning as an
'alternative access' route, as this form of learning is not appropriate for
many learners. It should nevertheless be recognised that for some students, due
for example to geographical isolation or a particular disability, distance
learning may be the only realistic option. Where distance learning is
established, community-based resource centres for group learning, and local
co-ordinators, should be put in place in order to prevent student isolation.
Mature student participation can also be enabled by the development of
modular degree and other programmes; the development/expansion of part-time
daytime degree programmes, and other flexible learning programmes; In general,
flexibility should animate the learning process within higher education
institutions
Information Guidance and Support Systems - Each college should
produce its own information materials (e.g. booklet; video) for mature
applicants, in order to enable such applicants to make informed choices about
college preferences based on information about available facilities, support
etc. The information materials - which should be fed into national information
networks - might be presented under the following headings: Entry
procedures;Academic Courses; Employment Prospects; Finance; Student support
systems (including child care).
Each college should hold separate open days for potential adult student
entrants. In so doing, emphasis must be placed on the targeting of those who
experience the greatest barriers to third-level entry.
Each college should provide information and advice sessions directed at
adult and mature students. The success of such sessions would be likely to be
dependent on the development of a guidance and counselling service, with
specialised training provision for (college and community) personnel.
Non-formal community education structures should be employed for the purposes
of the dissemination of information and guidance.
Each college should establish formal induction courses and processes, which
would incorporate guidance on the use of college facilities (libraries,
computers, etc.). While colleges need to be sensitive to the particular
induction needs of mature students, they might consider whether it would be
counterproductive for mature students to be singled out from the main student
body, and thus treated as a 'special needs' group, during induction procedures.
For access/foundation courses aimed at mature students, however, information
sessions for partners and families of the students might be helpful.
Study skills programmes should be inbuilt into all third-level curricula,
particularly for first-year mature students. The programmes should provide
students with skills appropriate to the degree courses being pursued. Special
support in mathematics should be provided where necessary, since this is an
area in which mature students commonly experience difficulty.
Each college should expand its student services structures in order that
they are in a better position to develop innovative support systems to meet the
needs of non-traditional students. This might include the nomination of a staff
member in each faculty to take responsibility for ensuring that academic
support is provided for mature students and to liase with the college's student
personnel in relation to pastoral support. Mentoring systems have been very
successful in certain colleges and should be explored as a possible aid to
mature students.
College administrative staff who deal directly with students should be
offered training/staff development programmes in order that they are able to
recognise and respond to the specific needs of non-traditional students.
Overcoming Financial and Practical Barriers - Each college should
provide subsidised childcare facilities, and support tailored to meet the needs
of those students for whom on-campus childcare facilities are inappropriate.
This should include the provision of a childcare fund where facilities are not
available and where facilities are available to enable student choice.
