The President of the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology has apologised, after two lecturers were recorded making remarks about students as they discussed grades at the end of a Zoom session.

Video clips have been circulating on social media in recent days, which show the lecturers commenting on the abilities of students, while marking an assignment that involved a presentation.

The two lecturers can be heard questioning the abilities of individual students by name.

In a statement yesterday on the institute's website, GMIT President Dr Orla Flynn issued an apology for the data breach, which she said has caused such deep hurt and dismay.

She said GMIT is known as a student-centred institute, and some of the comments made by staff do not reflect the values to which the college aspires.

The statement says apologies will be issued directly to the students concerned, and Dr Flynn says they're taking the breaches of GMIT policies and data protection legislation very seriously.