Shaking Up the Structure of Irish Higher Ed

The Irish government has proposed breaking up the National University of Ireland, and letting its individual universities and colleges largely manage themselves, The Irish Times reported. The government says that the individual institutions would be able to offer the same educational programs, and that funds would be saved. Leaders of the national university system are denouncing the plan -- both for its substance and a lack of consultation. The four universities in the confederation are University College Dublin, University College Cork, National University of Ireland at Galway and National University of Ireland at Maynooth.