Derry must receive its fair share of university places if it is ever to reach its full potential.
Those are the calls of the SDLP after attending a Hume Foundation event on higher education in the North-West of Ireland in the city on Tuesday.
The calls come as new figures show that 71% of higher education students in Northern Ireland are based in Belfast, the highest proportion of any capital city across the island of Ireland.
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Local councillor Brian Tierney said that despite efforts to solve the issue with UU and the Department for Economy the response had been "far from good enough".
He said: "[Derry needs] a properly resourced university that will provide our city with the third-level education centre it deserves while allowing young people in this area to study and reach their full potential without having to travel elsewhere for greater opportunities.
“The figures around the concentration of students in Belfast shows the scale of the challenge ahead of us when campaigning for proper university provision in our city, with even more student places transferring to Belfast in the last few weeks.
“The Hume Foundation event showcased the potential that exists for a cross-border university in Derry that can serve the entire North-West of our island.
"It would be transformative for our city, attracting people to Derry, creating jobs, boosting our economy and tackling the brain drain that has caused so much hurt and damage to this area. The potential is there, we just need the political will to make it a reality.”
In the New Decade, New Approach document, a commitment had been made by all five political parties to target 10,000 students for Derry.
However, speaking at an event held last week focused on greater cross-border collaboration in the North West, Ulster University vice-chancellor Paul Bartholomew said while he was committed to the “continued growth” of the Magee campus, 6,000 students for the regions was 'more achievable'.
He added: “This year there will be over 5,000 students. This will be the most students there’s ever been — and will continue to grow.
“I think there’s growth under existing systems to get us up to about 6,000 students. I’ve been perfectly public about that.
“What I’m trying to achieve at that campus is not just to be on the path to 6,000 students, which I think we will achieve within that five-year window, but to achieve a campus that is not incompatible with a higher number. That involves us ensuring that we can attract funding into that campus.”
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