The incoming president of the Union of Students of Ireland (USI) yesterday expressed concern over the manner in which the Government appointed Michael Kelly to chair the Higher Education Authority (HEA).
Last month, the Government appointed Mr Kelly to the €166,000 job after he vacated his post as secretary general of the Department of Health in the controversy in the wake of the publication of the Travers report on illegal nursing home charges.
Speaking on the final day of the USI's 46th annual congress in Ennis, Tony McDonnell said: "The HEA made a decision that it would have a part-time chairman and this was accepted by Government, but the Government then made a U-turn and appointed Mr Kelly as a full-time chairman."
Mr McDonnell, who will join Mr Kelly on the HEA board in July as USI president, said: "If you are going to perform a U-turn, you must have very good reasons for doing so, no reasons have been given by anyone and because of that I would be concerned over the appointment."
Elected as USI leader this week, Mr McDonnell added: "It is not a good way of doing business. Did it happen because the Government needed a space to put Mr Kelly into? Without any reasons being put forward, it leads to an uncertain environment and that is a problem across the third-level sector and we don't know what the Government is going to do next".
Last month, a board member of the HEA resigned in protest at the Government's appointment of Mr Kelly to the post.
