Fresh demands by university presidents for the return of college fees have drawn an angry response from student leaders and the Labour Party.
The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has urged the Government to "hold its nerve" in the face of a new campaign by university presidents.
The Irish University Association (IUA) - representing the college heads - say that the return of fees is required as colleges face a deepening financial crisis across the sector.
But the USI yesterday labelled college fees "a recipe for social division that would transform a public good into a private privilege".
Last night, its president Richard Morrisroe said "Mary Hanafin must put another stake through the heart of this pernicious IUA proposal".
He said that the return of fees would create a "disincentive to education" - restricting the number of people from low-income backgrounds who qualify for jobs requiring a degree level qualification.
USI's education officer, Hamid Khodabakhshi, said the IUA's "elite proposal" would hamstring thousands of ordinary people who aspire to professional pursuits.
Trinity College Students' Union has also strongly rejected any reintroduction of fees for university education.
While acknowledging there are gaps in funding for third-level education, it said "penalising students is not the way to address the issue". It pledged to "use all means at its disposal to oppose this elitist approach to education".
Labour said the return of fees would be a retrograde step after a period in which access to college had widened significantly.
It said the funding shortfall facing the universities should be addressed partly from general Government revenue.
There should also, it says, be reforms in funding for new higher education research infrastructure.
