A financial emergency:
The Irish response
Tom Boland
Higher Education Authority
SHEEO Higher Education Policy Conference, San Francisco
August 2011
Economic context
• Massive downturn in economic activity
– GDP fallen by c.20% since 2007
– GNP fallen by c.27% in the same period
• Significant budgetary consolidation underway
since mid-2008 which will continue to 2014
• Government debt rose from 25% of GDP in
2007 to 64% in 2009 - Debt sustainability is a
key issue.
Huge rise in unemployment
Trends in unemployment - Ireland and EU average rates
18%
16%
14%
12%
10%
8%
6%
4%
2%
0%
EU 15
EU 27
Ireland
Quantifying the demand
Full-time enrolment in Irish higher education - 1980 to 2030
300,000
275,000
250,000
225,000
200,000
175,000
150,000
125,000
100,000
75,000
50,000
25,000
0
Actual
Projected
Funding
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EU
19 S nd
av pai
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w rtu e
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ec
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Investment per student in HE, 2007
$30,000
$25,000
$20,000
$15,000
$10,000
$5,000
$0
All higher education
R&D
Total (including R&D)
Source: OECD (2010) Education at a Glance 2010, Indicator: B1.1a
That was 2007.
In the intervening years…
• Student numbers have increased by ~16% (from
170,000 in 2007/08 to 197,000 in 2010/11)
• The proportion of students qualifying for grants
has risen from ~33% to ~46%
• Demand is at an all-time high and is projected to
increase
• Public funding has not increased and is likely to
decline in the coming years
• Student contributions have increased from €900
to €2000
• Unit of investment per pupil is under pressure
Systemic efficiency
• Ireland must pioneer new levels of
efficiency and innovation in the design and
delivery of higher education
• System-level infrastructures & efficiencies
that are quality enhancing
• Shared services and collective
engagement with the challenges
• The fundamental challenges are not
financial
• They are educational; they are teaching
and learning challenges
National Strategy
for Higher Education to 2030
• System
• Quality
• Funding
• Sustainability
Fees?