But that expansion has hardly touched the Engineering Faculty. Where engineering was concerned, this would mean a loss to the university of about 1,500 per annum for each extra student we took in. Under these circumstances, no rational institution will expand its engineering numbers. By and large the universities didn't. Let us look at the equipment available to the universities.
Engineering is now very sophisticated, with a demand for very expensive equipment.
If we are to train our students to enter modern, well equipped industry they have to be exposed to similar equipment in the university. If you walk into a modern electronics or telecommunications laboratory, you would hardly notice 100,000 worth of equipment. Let me repeat, zero in 1996. I will put this in context for you. Five years ago, it cost UCC 10 million to reinstate one laboratory in the National Microelectronics Research Centre after a fire.