Paul Johnston
Director General, Irish Universities Association
Prof. John O’Halloran
President, University College Cork Chair, IUA Council
Ireland’s economy and society are facing into a decade of profound change, shaped by digitalisation, decarbonisation, deglobalisation and demographics.
Ensuring Ireland emerges as a cutting-edge economy and resilient society depends on our continuing to enjoy the benefits of a well-educated workforce and wider population.
Ireland’s seven research-intensive universities thus have a central role to play in national wellbeing, security and prosperity. Our teaching is closely connected to research, so our students engage with established knowledge, new ideas and discovery. This matters because our courses reflect the latest evidence, discovery and insights, and our students develop strong analytical and problem-solving skills which they’ll need in an uncertain, changing world.
Our universities contribute to society and the economy by supplying companies with a well-skilled workforce, but also new knowledge, innovation and insight to support employers, inform public policy and help Government address major social challenges, from housing and climate to infrastructure and health. They’ll also be required to navigate two major changes: AI and lifelong learning.
Our universities are critical national infrastructure, developing the people, ideas and knowledge that help deliver national priorities
How AI will transform education
Paul Johnston, Director General, IUA, the voice of Ireland’s seven research-intensive universities, argues that universities are “Embracing the opportunities of AI — across teaching, research and how we operate — while also being responsible, ethical and grounded in our values.
The skills universities have always taught, and the values we inculcate — critical thinking, analysis, communications and integrity — will become more important in the age of AI, which is sadly an age of mis-and dis-information. We’ll focus on combining technical and AI literacy with education’s deeper purpose — forming the person intellectually and socially. What John Henry Newman called producing “good members of society.”
Lifelong learning
The universities will increasingly focus on people of all ages returning to reskill and upskill. As Professor John O’Halloran, President, UCC, says, “Lifelong learning is core to what we do. It’s about opening opportunities to learn, whether returning to education, building new skills or pursuing new interests. As work, society and lives change, more people will move in and out of education. Our task is to make that possible through clearer pathways, more flexible provision and even stronger connections with employers and communities.”
Our universities are critical national infrastructure, developing the people, ideas and knowledge that help deliver national priorities and help people to flourish, develop their talents and participate fully in society.
That requires sustained investment, as the Government recognised in 2022. Four years on, the sector’s structural under-funding remains. That needs to change quickly, if we’re to make the investment in our future needed to equip Ireland for uncertain times ahead.
