THIRD-LEVEL FUNDING:UNIVERSITY HEADS yesterday warmly welcomed Minister for Education Batt O'Keeffe's decision to put fees back on the agenda.
The seven presidents are due to brief the Minister on the deepening financial crisis in the sector shortly.
Yesterday the Irish University Association - representing the seven university heads - welcomed "any indication on the Minister's part that he is willing to examine how the sector is funded".
The business employers' group Ibec also welcomed Mr O'Keeffe's proposal, saying the current funding system was unsustainable.
Ibec head of education and social policy Tony Donohoe said: "The free fees policy is unsustainable for economic and social reasons.
Investment in higher education is essential to support the development of an economy based on learning and innovation.
"Even before the current downturn, there was widespread acceptance that it would be impossible to develop a globally competitive third-level system by relying on State funding alone.
"The current policy is inequitable because it provides substantial subsidies to students whose families could well afford to pay tuition fees,'' he said.
The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) condemned the Minister for Education for wanting to "pile further burdens on students and their families".
USI president Shane Kelly said students would fight any attempt to introduce fees. "If the Government tries to introduce fees they will have a fight on their hands."
The return of third-level fees would be disastrous for students and their families, he said. Fees would deter people from entering higher education. He referred to studies in the UK which showed that fees deter people from lower- and middle-income backgrounds from applying to college.
The USI president said: "Not only would fees hurt students and their families, but they would put at risk the very idea of our knowledge economy by placing a barrier in front of those wishing to further their education."
Siptu vice-president Brendan Hayes said the proposal to reintroduce third-level fees was a retrograde step that would adversely affect the children of tens of thousands of low- and middle-income families, including many Siptu members.
"It is indisputable that third-level colleges need extra resources to deal with the extra demand for places and courses, but the answer must be found through general taxation," Mr Hayes said.
Education sources insisted last night that third-level fees would only be considered for those on well above average pay levels. A senior figure said any proposal would be based on ability to pay; fees would not be imposed on low-income families.
