This changes the whole context of university teaching. The Irish university system is already among the most efficient in the OECD in terms of cost per graduate. Finally we have to promote gender balance and equality of opportunity among students and employees of the university. Let me emphasise that each one of the objectives as laid out is good in itself. There is now a huge demand overload on universities.
Universities are out of balance with the society in which they live.
They are incapable of meeting the many and diverse demands of society, as enunciated by theius government, within the constraints of the resources which that society makes available to them . There is today a sense of turmoil in all university systems in the western world - of demands being made which cannot be met.