The Government is already developing a strategy for attracting more international students to Ireland and constructive contributions from  the Opposition parties are, of course, welcome.

 

The Government wants to position Ireland as a centre for international education which it considers a high-growth sector of the emerging smart economy.

 

Last year, the Minister travelled to China where he signed a number of partnership agreements between Chinese and Irish third-level institutions and forged important links with senior figures in the education sector and in Government.

 

As an English-speaking country in Europe, Ireland has a strong competitive advantage in the international education market so it’s vital that we continue to develop key links with emerging education markets.

 

The international education sector already contributes €900 million to the Irish economy each year and supports thousands of Irish jobs.

 

At the same time, Ireland attracts less than just 1pc of international students worldwide so obviously there is enormous scope to develop a strategy that can unlock our potential in the area.

 

The Minister will shortly announce partnership-based plans to ramp up our efforts to attract more international students and to market  Ireland as a centre for education in the worldwide marketplace.