James Lawless, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, has said the new SETU Veterinary course has been recognised as following international best practice. According to the Minster Irish students had been forced to leave the country to achieve their veterinary qualification.
“A number of years ago we realised that there was a huge demand for veterinary places and many of our students were leaving the country to study in Poland and further abroad – some in Edinburgh and some in eastern Europe – and we needed to up the ante in veterinary course provision,” explained Lawless.
SETU’s new veterinary course will commence with 40 places.
“The SETU programme will be supported by the Glassworks site in Waterford, but also through Teagasc's Kildalton College, which operates a working farm,” said Lawless.
“That reflects international best practice between the academic laboratory experience at the Glassworks site and the practical hands-on farm knowledge at Kildalton.”
“There is some good news to report on that. The planned commencement of 40 places for this September has received a significant boost with the opinion of reasonable assurance from the Veterinary Council of Ireland inspection of the Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine programme.”
“That that opinion of reasonable assurance means is that the regulatory body has now said that it is satisfied that this course passes muster, something that was expected, but which we could not take for granted would come through. My officials have been engaging intensively on this, and we have now received that assurance.”
This assurance means the Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine in SETU is now guaranteed to commence this September, according to Lawless.
AARON KENT
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
