Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 December 2025
447. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if assistance can be provided in reaching a satisfactory solution to an issue in County Kerry (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73158/25]
View answerI am aware of the matter raised by a representative of fourth-year students in the Agricultural Engineering programmes at Munster Technological University (MTU) Kerry. I am sorry to learn that some students are dissatisfied that these programmes do not meet the criteria for eligibility for the Teagasc Green Certificate.
As the Deputy will appreciate, MTU, like all higher education institutions, is statutorily autonomous in the management of its academic and administrative affairs. Accordingly, neither I nor my department has the remit to intervene in matters of this nature. It is also important to note that the Teagasc Green Certificate is not a higher education award and does not form part of the National Framework of Qualifications under Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI). Nonetheless, officials in my department sought clarification from MTU regarding the situation and the steps being taken to address students’ concerns.
MTU has provided the following information: The Bachelor of Engineering in Agricultural Engineering and the Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Agricultural Engineering programmes at MTU Kerry are long-standing, engineering-based courses. These programmes do not meet the criteria for eligibility for the Teagasc Green Certificate and have never been listed as eligible by Teagasc or advertised as such by MTU through official channels.
Students who enrolled in these programmes in 2019 and 2020 may have been aware that the then Institute of Technology Tralee was exploring the possibility of embedding the Green Certificate within these programmes. At that time, the institute had received indications from Teagasc that such an arrangement might be feasible. However, in 2020, it became clear that embedding the Green Certificate would not be possible.
As a once-off gesture of goodwill, MTU and Teagasc agreed to facilitate a “top-up” Green Certificate for those affected cohorts.Following this development, a number of science modules were removed from the programme in 2021/22 and replaced with traditional engineering modules, further reinforcing the engineering focus of the courses and further diverging for Green Certificate eligibility. MTU gave no commitment to students enrolling from 2021/22 onwards that the programmes would have Green Certificate equivalence. Agricultural Engineering students, currently in their fourth year, did not formally raise the issue of Green Certificate equivalence with MTU during the past three years. MTU management became aware of this expectation during a student engagement meeting on programme redevelopment held on 14 October 2025. Since then, MTU has been working to identify a satisfactory resolution to students’ concerns.
The university has contacted two approved Teagasc providers with a view to facilitating a bridging arrangement to the Green Certificate for current students. Any such arrangement would be at the discretion of the providers, as the MTU programmes differ significantly from the Green Certificate curriculum. However, MTU is reasonably confident that ongoing discussions may lead to a reduction in both time and cost for students seeking to obtain the Green Certificate.MTU has emphasised that these efforts are intended solely to assist students and do not arise from any failure on the university’s part to deliver a programme component that was previously committed.
Ensuring that students are fully informed about their course, qualification and likely career prospects is among my priorities as Minister. Officials in my department are engaged in a number of projects to improve information for learners.I would encourage any student who has doubts regarding their course to raise the matter with their university or college and seek out the supports available.
