Thomas Pringle TD has today called for the School of Tourism campus of Letterkenny Institute of Technology (LYIT) to be maintained in Killybegs to support regional development in the North West, following a financial review of LYIT whereby consideration is being given to closing the college.
Speaking at Topical Issues in the Dáil today to Minister Ciarán Cannon the Independent for Donegal South-West stated: “At the minute the LYIT board are drafting a three year financial plan for the institute and I believe that it is under consideration to relocate the school of Tourism to the Letterkenny campus and this will seriously undermine the viability of the Killybegs Campus of LYIT.
“There is a serious urgency in this situation because the plan is due to be delivered to the Higher Education Authority before the summer and this will signal the end of the delivery of Tourism courses in Killybegs.
“While everyone understands that there is a need for education and training to be cost effective, closing the Killybegs campus will be a severe setback for the whole of South West Donegal with the withdrawal of a vital education resource.
“It will also make the continuation of the adult learner facilities in Killybegs unviable and remove a resource for many under skilled and unemployed workers to improve their educational attainment and contribute to the growth of a viable tourism sector, which because of government policy is the only option in Donegal for job growth.
“The School of Tourism is the lynch pin that is keeping the rest of the facilities at the Killybegs campus going and if it is removed it will reduce the viability of the entire campus. LYIT may have financial difficulties, recovering student debt probably the biggest problem they have, but removing the school of tourism from Killybegs will ultimately not solve their problems. But it will hamper the recovery and development of a large part of the county and remove a huge tradition that has been in the hospitality and tourism industry for many years.
“Surely LYIT has a role in delivering and participating in the development of the entire region. For this reason the Killybegs campus should be seen and supported as part of that remit, developing the tourism, food and renewable energy sectors for the future of everyone in the North West.
“The Minister has stated that as LYIT is an independent body, how their funding is allocated internally is their decision but this response offers no clarity on the matter. I am holding a public meeting on this pressing issue in the Tara Hotel, Killybegs on Monday 13th May at 8pm and encourage everyone to come along,” stated Pringle.