Ireland quality control

Ireland looking at quality control

Ireland is the latest country to consider aggressive marketing tactics to attract international students to its shores. A report called The Internationalisation of Irish Educational Services, which was commissioned by several government departments, has suggested a number of strategies aimed at doubling the number of international students in the higher education sector in Ireland by 2010.

It suggests that an enforced quality system should be introduced that would provide a code of conduct for the pastoral care of international students and certify the quality of English language teaching institutions. A further suggestion is that the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform ties visa issuance to a requirement for all language schools to be quality-certified, thereby refusing visas to students looking to enrol at an unaccredited English language teaching institution.

This is a similar model to the one being implemented, albeit slowly, in the UK. From January, all UK schools have to be registered to be able accept student visa holders, and a plan to upgrade these requirements, from registration to a more comprehensive accreditation, is on the cards.
The Irish interdepartmental working group also recommends that a quality mark is developed for tertiary-level institutions, which could be used in marketing campaigns. While international students currently account for seven per cent of the higher education student community, a goal of 15 per cent has been set by 2010. According to the Irish Times, there is potential for growth in the secondary and tertiary education systems, with many unfilled places at several secondary schools.

''Demand is increasing in all sectors and it is in the national interest that all parties and agencies work together to achieve common goals,'' states the report, which recommends that a central agency be responsible for overseeing the new international student recruitment drive.