LIT withdraws from Munster university plan

LIMERICK Institute of Technology has withdrawn from a proposed venture to create a Munster Technological University alongside fellow Institutes of Technology in Cork and Tralee. The college said it has “reviewed its future position in the higher education landscape” and is instead seeking to prioritise collaboration with UL, Mary Immaculate College and IT Tralee. The proposed Munster Technological University would have become the largest third-level institute in the region with 24,000 students. A statement released by LIT said it wished to “pause further development” of the Munster Technological University plan.

However, LIT lecturer Dr Frank Houghton has criticised the move, saying that it is “perpetuating social and educational inequalities in Ireland”.
He referred to figures from the Higher Education Authority showing that Institutes of Technology consistently provided education to a higher proportion of those from less privileged backgrounds than universities.