I call on South East Oireachtas members to ensure Government deliver promised Veterinary School to SETU – South East Technological University
Independent TD in Waterford Matt Shanahan is calling for a unified political front from South East Oireachtas members to deliver a new Veterinary School to SETU. A veterinary school formed part of promises to ‘transformational delivery’ to south east 3rd level educators made by Minister Simon Harris most notably at the Iverk show in Pilltown, Co. Kilkenny, when he headed the new department and pressured the amalgamation of Waterford and Carlow Institutes of Technology to form SETU.
Despite copious and frequent promises made by Taoiseach Harris as Higher Education minister, the vaunted delivery of capital to advance teaching and accommodation opportunity, new governance and borrowing frameworks to underpin high level faculty awards has still not happened for SETU. Delivery of the new Veterinary School to SETU would finally signal University investiture was not a political south east region connivance on the part of Government!
At present, the South East Technological University (SETU) is currently involved in a three-way competition with the University of Limerick and the Atlantic Technological University to determine which institution will host Ireland’s newest Vet School, the first outside Dublin. Each university has submitted proposals to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and are still awaiting a final decision from the Government.
The historic and contemporary lack of adequate spend in the south east 3rd level education sector is evident in the crippling brain drain and the missing economic benefits to regional quality employment and salaries over many years. The educational and skills deficits largely explain the lack of desire of multinationals to target the region for investment also. These ongoing deficits are a deep concern to every citizen in the south east region – so is the growing awareness and unease that potential exists now for this promised educational programme to be awarded elsewhere.
HEA recently noted that an additional 230 vets could be trained annually at a new veterinary school. Much is being made in national press of the bullishness of the University of Limerick’s chances with the college signing memorandums of understanding with private veterinary practices and higher Education Ministers Patrick O’Donovan and Niall Collins both being Limerick men! One could hope that such obvious circumstance would have no bearing to the outcome, but are south east Oireachtas members happy to take such a bet?
It is time for Government to reflect on the promises they made to the development of SETU and to the people of the south east region. Sceptics, cynics, and every passionate supporter of the leading IOT in the state Waterford Institute of Technology were assured that the new enforced amalgamation with Carlow IT to form SETU would be “transformational” and deliver a comparable university to every other region of the country – When are these ‘political imperatives to be set in political stone’?
As Minister for Higher Education, overseeing the amalgamation process, Simon Harris stated that the hard work of staff in Waterford would be “matched by investment—investment in infrastructure and new buildings, investment in education, investment in research.” We were promised a new borrowing framework, professorships, pay scales comparable to other universities, capital projects, and new courses—none of which have been delivered to SETU to date!
Activity in Waterford to date comprises a 4-million-euro purchase of 20 acres brownfield site (old crystal factory site) with no capital on offer to progress any build development while a promised Engineering Building on the old WIT campus begun in 2009 with 2 million euro enabling works expended, lies moribund, awaiting a future PPP approval now in train since 2017!
We are at a pivotal time in the equitable development of south east higher education. Our south east Oireachtas members particularly those in government parties must ensure this Veterinary School is awarded to SETU as promised. Without such investment, this south east academic ‘flagship’ mandated by Government will fail dismally in ending the regional brain drain or the economic ‘purloining’ of south east parents and student families forced to access programmes outside the region.
The university has submitted a robust business case with the full support of Kildalton College, Pilltown, Co Kilkenny which boasts the largest Teagasc college nationally where courses in Agriculture, Horticulture and Equine Studies are supported and where SETU supports course provision to levels 7 and 8. Showing its clear ambition, SETU has recently recruited a lead on Veterinary Medicine from Cambridge University to deliver on the University’s potential to educate Ireland’s future veterinarians.
SETU remains to date a university built largely on promises – Over twelve months ago the college leadership presented to Government a detailed Strategic Plan to address the historic deficits thus unleashing the regional potential presently, untapped! The plan requires €300m capital investment to deliver needed infrastructure with new teaching and learning opportunities – it is the minimum investment required to elevate the institution to the level predicted, and promised to the region, by Ministers, Tánaistes, and Taoisigh over the past number of years – this plan remains aspirational!
SETU leadership has invited South East Oireachtas members to a review meeting to take place in Kildalton College in the near future which will include a tour and review of the Kildalton and SETU site facilities and buildings that showcase the ability of the University to ‘hit the ground running’ in terms of a new Veterinary School award.
It will also provide opportunity for south east Oireachtas members to be updated on the funding difficulties that have impeded to date, any meaningful development of the multi campus university that is supposedly ‘fundamental’, to a future performing SETU.
From my perspective as a Waterford TD, any failure by Government now to deliver on promises made to SETU regarding a new Veterinary School will be an absolute betrayal of student families and educators in the South East region.
In such event I have no doubt although his government colleagues will disagree and defend, such failure will mark Simon Harris as the Minister who promised much to the south east, but as Taoiseach delivered little!!
