The leaders of Irish universities will be lobbying to ensure that Northern Irish students are not subjected to higher, international-level fees, as negotiations begin over the UKâs exit from the EU.
In an interview with The University Times, Ned Costello, Chief Executive of the Irish Universities Association (IUA), which represents all seven Irish universities, said that the organisation would âcertainly try and at least achieveâ lower fees for Northern Irish students studying in Irish universities.
While acknowledging that the negotiations are ongoing, Costello said IUA would âtry and influence as best we canâ. The head of each of the seven Irish universities sits on the IUA council alongside Costello. Their role is to advocate on behalf of the universities and lobby the government on issues related to higher education.
As the UK prepares to leave the EU, the Irish higher education sector is preparing for the challenges and opportunities involved in Brexit. Last month, Costello appeared before the Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills to address the issue of Brexit and the possible implications it might have for the educational system. Speaking at the joint committee, he called for âa system in which we address the systemic funding issuesâ and increased âflexibility on the staffing and regulation sideâ.
Trinity has established a Brexit taskforce to ensure that the College is prepared for the possible challenges and opportunities presented by the UK leaving the EU. The committee consists of senior members of the College staff, including Provost Patrick Prendergast; Juliette Hussey, the Vice-President for Global Relations; and John Boland, Trinityâs Dean of Research. Trinity College Dublin Studentsâ Union (TCDSU) President, Kieran McNulty, is also a member of the taskforce.
Prendergast has repeatedly stated his desire to increase the number of Northern Irish students in Trinity, calling for the College to be a âuniversity for the whole island of Irelandâ. Speaking to The University Times last month, Trinityâs Director of Public Affairs and Communications, and member of the Collegeâs Brexit taskforce, Tom Molloy, said it was important to him that Northern Irish students would be treated differently from international students. At the very least, he would hope that Trinity would âcontinue encouraging students from the North to be treated like students from the Southâ.
University College Cork (UCC) has also convened a group to evaluate the impact of Brexit. In an email statement to The University Times, Dr Christopher Brown, Director International at UCC, described Brexit as âboth a threat and an opportunity for UCCâ. He was confident, however, âthat interest levels in UCC degree programmes generally have risenâ due to the UKâs decision to leave the EU and the uncertainty this creates.
âWe absolutely want and absolutely will strive for a situation where there continues to be healthy student flows between both north/south and east/westâ, he added.