Fine Gael Deputy for Longford-Westmeath, James Bannon, says that consideration should be given to the establishment of a university in the Midlands, which he said would complement Athlone Institute of Technology.
“I don’t want to take away in any way from the excellent service that Athlone IT provides to the Midlands, indeed, a university would complement Athlone IT and other excellent educational resources that exist in the Midlands. However the fact remains that in order to access a university education people from the Midlands must move away from home. This puts families under significant financial pressure,” he said.
He added that the costs of supporting a young person through university are considerable enough without adding travel and accommodation to the list.
