Review into double-jobbing AIT lecturer calls for greater transparency

An independent review into how a lecturer in Athlone IT also worked full-time in NUI Galway for over eight years has called for "greater transparency" around the delivery of services by lecturers paid out of the public purse. Speaking following the controversial case of Fergal O'Malley, an engineering lecturer, who was found to be working in both third-level institutions back in 2007, Comptroller and Auditor General John Buckley said in the recently published report: "It is disturbing that some lecturers have a belief that their obligations to an Institute of Technology are exhausted upon delivery of contact hours which are set in terms of a norm of 16 hours a week." In the wake of the controversy, Mr O'Malley subsequently resigned from AIT. The Comptroller and Auditor General's report outlined that in March 2007, Athlone Institute of Technology was informed that one of its full-time lecturers was also lecturing in NUI Galway. The lecturer was challenged about the situation and gave assurances that any arrangements with NUI Galway would cease. Further assurances were sought and given by the lecturer at the start of the following academic year. In November 2007 NUI Galway contacted the Institute and informed it that the lecturer was a full-time permanent staff member of NUI Galway. On 30 November 2007 the lecturer resigned from the Institute. Initially, the circumstances of how a lecturer was able to hold down two full-time positions gave rise to concerns regarding the management and monitoring of staff by Athlone IT, however, the State watchdog said the resulting independent review raised concerns for the sector as a whole. It pointed out that there was a need to review areas across the third-level education sector especially monitoring contract fulfilment, approval and monitoring external work and off-campus research and monitoring of timetabling and contact hours. Third-level institutes need to be in a position to "demonstrate that monies provided from the State sources are applied for the purposes intended" and that overall, academic work should be carried out within defined contracts, which have clear provisions in regard to time commitments and any day-to-day deviations agreed by the authorities, the publication stated. AIT also initiated its own independent review into the circumstances surrounding the case. The report was completed in June 2008. It recommended that heads of schools and departments should, in future, report to the human resource section where they had any concerns regarding the adherence by staff to their contracts of employment together with details of the actions taken It also recommended that the Institute should closely monitor the engagement by staff in external employment and introduce arrangements to improve the supervision of off-campus research The report also drew attention to the working hours for lecturers in Institutes of Technology and noted that the normal working week consisted of class contact time which is usually 16 hours per week and other duties involving research work, academic assessment and academic administration. The report noted that some staff (a minority of all staff) appeared to believe that their obligations ended upon fulfilment of their class contact hours. Following enquiries from the Comptroller and Auditor General, The Accounting Officer of the Department of Education said the contract of employment for institute of technology lecturers was being investigated in the context of the Towards 2016 Agreement, to take account of the totality of service, in terms of research, learner support, course development etc provided by lecturers and discussions on the issue are taking place at the industrial relations level. On foot of the report, the Department also noted that while recognising the automnous managerial nature of the institutes, there were issues regarding the "effectiveness of use of resources in the sector which were a matter of direct concern to the Department," something that will form part of the preparation of a new strategy for higher education. Lecturers in Institutes of Technology are required to deliver 560 class contact hours per year, with the norm of 16 class contact hours per week. In addition, to class contact, lecturers are also obliged to carry out duties listed in the contract - including curriculum and course design, research, supervising tutorials, and assessment of exam work. Their contract of employment states the performance of these duties will require attendance in addition to class contact hours during the normal working week.