Press conference: The Minister for Education and Science, Mr Dempsey, says he will be seeking a "quantum leap" in funding for third-level education following the OECD review.
Speaking at a press conference to mark the publication of the report last night, he repeated that the return of fees and any form of graduate tax were off the agenda for the foreseeable future.
He said the issue of funding for the sector was not an issue for any individual Minister; it was an issue for the entire country.
"If we do not do what needs to be done [in terms of increasing funding for third-level], we are going to be left behind" in terms of economic and social progress.
He said it was clear that we would have to find the money from somewhere if we were to realise the ambitions we have set for third-level as the driving force behind a knowledge society.
Mr Dempsey, who pushed for the return of fees unsuccessfully last year, said he was not looking for vindication. The facts were there about the need for more investment in third level, and they were not going to go away.
"There is no dispute about the need for more money. If you close off one avenue [i.e. fees] you narrow your options. We have done that."
He said, in the absence of fees,the State would be looking to the taxpayer for more funds. He would be going to Cabinet seeking vastly more resources for third-level.
However, he added that more funding for the primary sector would remain his priority.
Last night, Dr Don Thornhill, chairman of the Higher Education Authority, said the OECD review represented "a very comprehensive agenda for positive change and development".
"The HEA will study these in detail. On a first reading, the thrust of the OECD report is very much in line with the policy positions of the HEA, including the emphasis on strategy, improved policy co-ordination and institutional autonomy."
The Conference of Heads of Irish Universities welcomed the report.
It said, if acted upon, it could have an even greater impact on the country's development than the seminal 1965 OECD report Investment in Education.
"The stark reality underlined by the report is that for Ireland to be internationally competitive as a knowledge-based society, Irish universities need to be in the top rank of universities in the OECD.
"This is the goal of the Irish universities, and the OECD report provides a clear road map for both Government and the universities for getting there."
