Martin to challenge Taoiseach on GMIT Castlebar

ON CAMPUS Dr Fergal Barry, GMIT President pictured with Lisa Chambers, TD and Fianna FΡil leader Micheal Martin, TD, during a visit to the GMIT Mayo Campus, Castlebar. Pic: Keith Heneghan/Phocus

Edwin McGreal

Fianna FΡil leader MicheΡl Martin said he will meet with Taoiseach Enda Kenny to challenge him on the issue of GMIT in Castlebar after visiting the college last Wednesday.
Deputy Martin said there is a lack of a ‘clear policy commitment’ from the current Government to GMIT in Castlebar and that he is going to ‘talk’ to the Taoiseach about the problems pertaining to the future of GMIT.
The culling of courses at the campus in recent weeks has heightened concerns for the future of the campus and there has been a strong local campaign calling for increased funding.
Deputy Martin said he noticed a ‘real pessimistic sense’ of its future from students and staff when visiting the college.
“You should have a clear policy commitment to expand and grow the campus as opposed to a campus that seems to be in retreat, a campus that seems to be suffering from the overall cut in expenditure allocation to the third level sector,” Deputy Martin told local journalists in the TF Hotel on Wednesday afternoon.  
He was staggered to see some of the structural problems with the building itself.
“No allowance is being made that there are particular needs in Mayo and in a multi-campus institute, there needs to be clear provisioæn for those campuses outside of the central campus. I was very struck by the fact that since 2008 there hasn’t been a capital investment in the Mayo campus. They have a net to stop the tiles from falling off, there’s a huge problem with a roof there. Now, to me, that’s a very basic requirement and the fact that roof hasn’t been replaced says it all about the lack of a policy commitment to ensuring a vibrant campus,” he said.
“Everyone talks about the divide between the regions - Dublin and the rest. In concrete terms then you’ve a campus here which has done a lot cannot get a roof replaced and I think that’s unacceptable,” he added.
He said the college is worthy of funding support.
“It can’t become the sacrificial lamb because of other funding issues to do with the technologies sector. In our view it has proved its worth and I think it needs support both at the Galway institute level and at government level. I do believe the government is not matching rhetoric with reality and funding and support.”