I have called on the Minister for Education Mary Mitchell O’Connor to answer questions on the non-implementation of the recommendations in the Working Group Report from October 2017 for the GMIT Castlebar Campus and requested that she intervene to investigate the matter and ensure that action is taken without any further delays.
I, like many others, welcomed the publication of the report but am severely disappointed in the failure to implement the recommendations.
The report recommended that the permanent head of centre be appointed. The post was advertised in September but was re-advertised in February. After the short-listing the recruitment process stopped and was referred to the governing body. We need to know why a decision was made to postpone the interview process. I understand it was referred to the risk unit, where the review took place. We do not know if the review process was completed or indeed what the results of it were.
I also raised the point that the Governing Body Sub-Committee only had its first meeting in March and the lack of consultation and engagement with staff members and programme boards did not reflect the recommendations in the Report.
I am very concerned that none of the structural repairs have been carried out. The building required urgent repairs, primarily to the roof of the main building.
The Mayo campus is absolutely integral to the education system in Mayo, particularly because of the cost of accommodation in many of the other towns. It is hugely important for both adult education and for those trying to access courses. There is a wonderful staff there. There are wonderful education opportunities, but we need to implement the recommendations in this report and above all we need a head of centre to drive this in full consultation with staff.
