The Labour Party organisation in Waterford has reacted with extreme concern to comments by the Minister for Higher Education in relation to the make-up of the proposed Technological University of the South East (TUSEI).
In a statement yesterday, Simon Harris said he wanted the new TU to include, not just Waterford and Carlow, but also Wexford, Kilkenny, Wicklow, Laois and Kildare.
In a statement, local Labour Party representatives said;
"The goalposts have not just been moved, they are being split into various pieces and scattered across seven counties – and yet there’s no mention of South Tipperary, which is right on WIT’s doorstep." says the party.
"Waterford City is in real danger of finding itself isolated at the far end of a sprawling TUSE entity, driven from ever closer to Dublin. This shift away from the actual South East capital must be of deep concern to everyone with Waterford’s long-term educational and economic interests at heart."
"Being fast-tracked towards a summer application and an approval earmarked for January 1st next, for the Minister and his advisors to be introducing complicated new geographical elements to the TUSEI equation at this advanced stage is very worrying. As well as including his own Wicklow constituency, bringing Kildare and Laois (which were never part of previous regional structures) into the mix is a development that raises countless questions."
"From the Labour Party in Waterfords viewpoint, the question must be asked: is this what WIT signed up for when they agreed a memorandum of understanding with IT Carlow? Waterford and Carlow ITs have been working in good faith for a decade and, as if the process wasn’t complex enough, suddenly a host of new educational partners are being involved. This could be construed as a divide and conquer move in the mold of what happened to services at the former WRH."
