Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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635. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his Department has engaged with HEIs on the cost of the Professional Masters in Education; and if so, his views on the cost of the PME. [19030/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy may be aware, the Department of Education has responsibility for initial teacher education policy including the determination of the number of students admitted to Professional Masters in Education (PME) courses in State-funded higher education institutions each year.

My Department allocates recurrent grant funding to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for direct disbursement to HEA funded institutions. The HEA provides block grant funding to the higher education sector through the Recurrent Grant Allocation Model (RGAM), which is primarily driven by student numbers. The grant is allocated as a block grant towards teaching, research and related costs, and the internal allocation is a matter for each institution.

RGAM core funding is exclusive of fees collected by a higher education institution, including those determined by the institution for the PME. Higher education institutions are autonomous bodies as set out in legislation and in this regard meeting the costs of provision is a matter for the respective institution within the context of its overall budget.