Irish degree council rapped on spending

Ireland's degree-awarding body could cut its annual budget by almost a half and still provide colleges with a better service, according to a team of independent consultants which investigated its spending at home and overseas.

The Irish National Council for Educational Awards (NCEA) received the greatest criticism for its overseas expenditure.

The government-created council awards diplomas, certificates and degrees to students from 42 technical and other non-university institutions in Ireland and has links with four overseas colleges. The consultants claimed that the NCEA had lost "its sense of purpose and sense of direction" and that last year it was neither efficient nor cost-effective.

The consultants from KPMG were appointed by the Higher Education Authority with the approval of the education ministry. An interim report said that the council could cut its budget of IRPounds 2.6 million (Pounds 2.4 million) this year by IRPounds 1 million and still provide a better service, particularly for Irish colleges which got a lower level of service than those overseas. The NCEA has a full-time director and a staff of 24. Last year no institutional reviews were carried out in Ireland but four were carried out overseas.

The leaked interim report revealed that there was a deficit of IRPounds 70,712 on activities related to overseas institutions. The income from fees and other charges paid by these institutions amounted to IRPounds 30,645 but total spending was IRPounds 101,357. Spending on "attendance at overseas conferrings" was IRPounds 66,576. The report noted that the costs of attendance at these conferrings was almost equal to the deficit incurred and it suggested that substantial savings on attendance at such conferrings should be possible.

The report urged an immediate and complete re-evaluation of the role of the NCEA in higher education. The NCEA described the findings as "fundamentally flawed" and said they were based on a misunderstanding and use of accounting data and concepts.