Lecturers face checks on the amount of time spent teaching (via Ninth Level Ireland)

Lecturing staff continue to suffer the indignity of being fed the Hunt Report third hand.

"University academics will no longer be able to get away with doing a few hours teaching and little or no research or other work. The Irish Independent has learned that a forthcoming report will recommend the introduction of sophisticated work-load management models to monitor what staff actually do in terms of teaching duties, administration, counselling students and research …" (more) [John Walshe, Independent, 22 June] … Read More

via Ninth Level Ireland

IFUT’s “utter astonishment” at threat of more funding cuts to universities.

Redundancies not an Option
2 June 2010
The Irish Federation of University Teachers has reacted with utter astonishment to the prospect of more funding cuts to universities as reported in The Irish Times today, 2 June 2010.
“I note that in a panic reaction to the prospect of more cuts, some university sources are allegedly considering redundancies for academic staff”, said Mike Jennings, General Secretary of IFUT. “I wish to state categorically that under no circumstances will IFUT agree to any compulsory job losses in the university sector”, said Mr Jennings.
“At a time of unprecendented demand for higher education and at a time when we have record numbers of students in our universities, it beggars belief that the Department of Education could even be considering more cuts.”
IFUT calls on the Minister for Education, Ms Mary Coughlan TD, to issue an immediate statement denying these reports.
- ENDS -
For further information on this media release, please contact:
Mike Jennings,
General Secretary,
Irish Federation of University Teachers,
11 Merrion Square,
Dublin 2.
Tel: (01) 661 0910
(087) 677 6747
E-mail: IFUT@eircom.net

Respect for the stakeholders in the higher education sector will be reciprocated, IFUT General Secretary tells Minister Coughlan

General Secretary of IFUT, Mike Jennings, speaks at Annual Delegate Conference,
A little respect for the stakeholders in the higher education sector and the avoidance of ’stunts’ and ‘cheap fixes’ will go a long way and will be reciprocated, the General Secretary of the Irish Federation of University Teachers, Mike Jennings, told newly-appointed Minister for Education, Mary Coughlan, at the 2010 IFUT Annual Delegate Conference today (Saturday, 24 April 2010).

“If there are issues in higher education that Minister Coughlan is concerned about and does not understand, she should come to us”, said the General Secretary. “Who is better able to speak knowledgeably about an issue such as Grade Inflation: the people who work in the system, or the CEOs of two multi-national companies?” (more on IFUT web page)