MINISTER FOR Education Batt O'Keeffe says there are no "soft choices" on higher education funding, reaffirming his strong personal backing for the return of fees for the better off.
Mr O'Keeffe said he now expected to present a memo to Cabinet in April setting out the various policy options on student contributions, including the return of fees and other alternatives like student loans and a graduate tax.
The Minister will also make his own recommendation to Cabinet, who will make the final decision.
He told The Irish Times: "At a time of difficult choices for the public purse, there is a strong equity argument that those who benefit from higher education - and who can afford to contribute to the costs of their higher education - should be asked to do so."
His comments come as 50,000 Leaving Cert students prepare their CAO applications for college in the autumn.
A key question facing Government is whether any fees regime will apply to all students at third-level or just to incoming students from September 2009. Students also face increased student registration charges averaging about €1,500 in the autumn, up from about €900 last year.
Another key issue is the income threshold for fees; there has been speculation that those with a total household income of over €100,000 will be liable. Last night, Mr O'Keeffe said the higher education system in Ireland was overly dependent on State funds and desperately needed new sources of revenue if it was to compete internationally.
"We cannot afford to lose ground now in this highly competitive global knowledge market. The leading higher education systems have wide revenue sources that in many cases include a form of tuition fee or student loan system," he said.
The Minister also hinted that income generated from any new fees regime would be used to widen access for poorer students. "I want to be able to protect and prioritise investment in student supports, bridge the gap between poverty and privilege and to encourage wider access to third-level."
He said there was little conclusive evidence to show that the abolition of fees in the mid-1990s had widened participation among poorer sections of society.
"It still remains the case that postal districts or parental income are good indicators of the likelihood of someone progressing to third-level."
At present, higher education receives about €2 billion per year in State funding. On average, the seven Irish universities receive about half of the State funding available to comparable colleges in the likes of Britain and Scandinavia.
See CAO College Choice 2009 supplement
