THE GOVERNMENT has announced a new strategy aimed at increasing international student numbers in higher education by 50 per cent and in English-language schools throughout the State by 25 per cent by 2015.
The five-year blueprint entitled “Investing in Global Relationships” envisages that the international education sector will be worth €1.2 billion per year to the Irish economy by 2015. It is currently worth an estimated €900 million annually.
As part of the strategy, the Government has also launched a new immigration regime for international students, reforming entry requirements but imposing safeguards to prevent abuse of the system.
The strategy was launched at Government Buildings yesterday by Taoiseach Brian Cowen, Tánaiste and Minister for Education Mary Coughlan and Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern.
The high-level group that developed the strategy was established last year and comprises senior representatives from the universities, institutes of technology, private higher education colleges and English-language schools, as well as from the relevant Government departments and State agencies.
The strategy is published on www.education.ie, which is the website of the Department of Education and Skills, and on www.educationireland.com.
The Government directed the high-level group to produce a strategy for Ireland’s enhanced performance in the area of international education.
The strategy was developed in tandem with a review of student immigration.
A statutory code of practice and a quality mark, to be awarded to educational institutions that meet certain criteria, “will provide the basis for quality assurance of education and related services provided to international students”.
Specific categories of international student “who are likely to become the next generation of leaders, entrepreneurs and decision makers” will be targeted and educational programme offerings will be “tailored to their needs and interests”.
The potential for mutually beneficial North-South collaboration in the area of international education will be explored.
The high-level group will be responsible for overall implementation and progress towards the national objectives and targets will be monitored through publication of an annual report.
The Taoiseach said it was “a very ambitious but practical plan”. At present there were 17,000 fulltime students who had come to this State from abroad, or about 10 per cent of the total full-time student population and the aim was to increase that to 25,500 by 2015. And we have this year over 100,000 English-language students who have come to Ireland. We want to make sure that that’s built up to 120,000 by 2015,” Mr Cowen said.
Tánaiste and Minister for Education Mary Coughlan said: “We have produced a strategy which is very clear on our shared vision for the higher education and English-language sectors in the international arena.”
Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern said: “Anything that we can do in the immigration system, which is run by my department, we will do – obviously at the same time ensuring that we curtail the abuses.”
Fine Gael education spokesman Fergus O’Dowd said in a statement: “The Government’s scheme contains inadequate quality assurance systems and, as is always the case with Fianna Fáil and the Greens, no Minister is left in charge of implementation. In contrast, the Fine Gael strategy (launched six months ago) contains firm proposals that will generate an additional €900 million annually – bringing the value of the sector to €1.8 billion – and create 6,000 jobs.”
