As the Deputy may be aware, TU Dublin is transitioning to a new unified student records system as part of a significant systems upgrade project designed to enhance and streamline student services; it was delivered by TU Dublin in conjunction with a third party contractor.
TU Dublin is an autonomous higher education institution under the Technological Universities Act 2018, and as such, is responsible for the management of its own programmes and systems, including the upgrade and maintenance of its systems and processes.
However, I am aware of issues that arose in TU Dublin relating to student registration and the subsequent delays in the publication of examination results during the first semester and winter examination period. My Department and the HEA are engaging with TU Dublin through the Higher Education Authority (HEA) to understand the nature of the difficulties encountered and the steps being taken to address them.
At this point in this academic year, it is my understanding as Minister that TU Dublin has confirmed that all the issues arising from the implementation of the new system have now been resolved.
The Deputy should also note that outside of these particular issues there are circumstances which are beyond the control of TU Dublin, for example, some students may not receive results when they're issued due to incomplete registration. This includes, for example, repeat students who have not formally registered to repeat etc. Once the student's registration is regularised, their results are/will be released.
The University has advised that it has invested significant effort to address any delays, to minimise the impact on students, and to provide ongoing updates to students and staff through its website and email channels. Recognising the frustration of some students TUD have informed DFHERIS that any student with an exam-related query can contact a dedicated email address.
The Department will continue to monitor the situation through engagement with the HEA and expects that the stabilisation of the new student records management system, together with appropriate governance oversight, will help to prevent a recurrence of such delays.
