Education Schemes
Seanad Éireann — 2026-02-25
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Marian Harkin (IND), Sligo-Leitrim

I thank the Senator. There is not a lot more to say except that it is good news all around. The HEA is in the process of engaging an expert consultant to work with the participating institutions on a common evaluation instrument. That is an important part of any aspect of funding. The outcomes of that evaluation will inform the next steps regarding the expansion of the programme in line with the programme for Government commitments. As I said, the answer to the Senator's question is "Yes". It is good news for Kevin and good news for all the people who make such an effort to make a difference to the lives of those students and also to the wider community. I certainly include myself in that. I will not speak for Senators but we all need to have a better understanding of the contributions every single one of us as individuals can make to society. Courses like this give opportunities to people that were not there previously.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-02-25/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:41+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-25