UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTS are being told to brace themselves for unprecedented cuts which could force them to cut staff and cancel courses.
In a confidential letter to the seven presidents, the chief executive of the Higher Education Authority (HEA), Tom Boland, says he is alerting all colleges now to take “whatever action is needed” to prepare for the next academic year.
Mr Boland advises colleges to budget on the basis that there may be further staff reductions in 2011. He also says the colleges can expect “further reductions in core allocations” and no increase in student charges.
It is clear, he writes, that “overall recurrent funding will be reduced and this is likely to require reductions in pay and non-pay across the sector.”
The university sector is already struggling to cope with a huge surge in student numbers, as record numbers of school leavers and mature learners opt for college. Several colleges including UCD and UCC are also struggling to reduce accumulated debts totalling over €20 million across the sector.
In his letter, Mr Boland says the HEA has robustly argued against further cuts because of the increased student numbers and the damaging impact of existing cuts. College funding has already been cut by 6 per cent under the Employment Control Framework introduced last year.
University presidents have responded with dismay to the news of further cuts.
One university source told The Irish Times: “I expect universities at least in some cases will be unable to achieve the staffing reductions without redundancies. After two years of the Employment Control Framework we have made all the reductions that can realistically be achieved by ‘natural’ methods – we would have to face redundancies.”
Another said the new cuts would threaten a huge number of courses. “We simply cannot continue to roll out an ever-expanding number of courses for more and more students with fewer resources. Something has got to give.”
Inevitably, any cuts in the number of university courses could trigger an increase in CAO-points levels for students from 2011.
Third-level colleges are already coming to terms with a looming financial crisis as they struggle to cope with an additional 55,000 students over the next decade.
Last month, an internal HEA report said an investment of over €4 billion would be required to upgrade dilapidated buildings and provide space for a surge in student numbers. But it also conceded such investment is “highly unlikely” in the current climate.
Mr Boland’s warning comes as the number of full-time students is set to increase by 15 per cent between now and 2012/2013, while the number of part-time students will increase by 10,000, or 30 per cent, over the same period.
This year, CAO applications are at record levels as some 70 per cent of students proceed towards college.