Statement from Senior Management at National College of Art and Design
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Senior management at the National College of Art and Design (NCAD) is aware of the proposed protest march from NCAD to the Department of Education and Skills tomorrow, Thursday, 28th May. There are serious inaccuracies included in the information being circulated in advance of this march.
Senior management wishes to clarify a range of actions being taken to address ongoing challenges at NCAD, as follows:
NCAD Board
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NCAD is governed by a board of 12 members, which includes three staff and two student representatives.
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The National College of Art and Design Act, 1971, stipulates that the members of the board are appointed by the Minister for Education and Skills for a term of three years. The term of the most recent Board concluded at the end of February.
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Nominations for new staff and student representatives are with the Minister awaiting approval, and NCAD’s Director and the former Chair of the Board have been in contact with the Department of Education and Skills regarding the timeline for the appointment of a new board.
Governance and Accounts
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All funding received by NCAD has been used for the purpose intended. All board-members over the years – including the staff and student representatives – regularly received accounts of income and expenditure.
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In the aftermath of the report published by the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) about accountability and governance at NCAD, the senior management team developed a Governance Plan, which has been approved by the Higher Education Authority (HEA), the government body responsible for effective governance and regulation of higher education institutions.
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The plan addresses all of the issues raised in the C&AG report, and is currently being implemented by NCAD, with the ongoing support of the HEA.
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All NCAD accounts up to the end of 2012 have been audited and presented to the office of the C&AG. The 2013 Financial Statements have also been completed, and are currently with the C&AG.
Senior management at NCAD said today (27.05.15) that the College has been going through a period of necessary change in recent years in response to the Government’s reform agenda for the wider education sector. This involves a major restructuring of higher education through consolidation, mergers, new funding mechanisms and other measures. In this context, NCAD continues to advocate for art and design education.
Over the past five years, NCAD’s core funding from Government has decreased by 52 per cent. At the same time, the overall number of undergraduate students at NCAD – and across the higher education sector – has increased. Against this challenging backdrop, NCAD’s senior management and boards have been implementing changes necessary to provide for the needs of students and graduates into the future.
ENDS
Contact: Martina Quinn, DHR Communications, Tel: 01-4200580 / 087-6522033
