Differences over academic standards have resulted in the resignation of a member of the National Council for Educational Awards (NCEA), the body responsible for the recognition of hundreds of third-level courses.
Ms Anne Murphy, a maths lecturer at DIT Kevin Street and a member of the council for the past seven years, in a letter of resignation to the Minister for Education, Mr Martin, said the NCEA had failed to ensure proper quality control at some of the institutions it supervises.
She said this related in particular to the standards of some courses.
Both the NCEA and Ms Murphy refused to comment yesterday on the resignation.
However, other sources said Ms Murphy was unhappy with the way the NCEA monitored the institutions under its control.
The NCEA has approved more than 800 courses since its establishment in 1972 and also advises the Minister for Education and Science on whether colleges should be given official designation.
Sources close to the NCEA dismissed the concerns mentioned by Ms Murphy in the letter to Mr Martin. They pointed out that the NCEA worked in a spirit of partnership with colleges and always sought to bring about improvements with the help of the institutions.