Department reviews fresh fees estimate
Third level students from four different institutions take their 'No Fee' protest to the streets of Limerick City
REVISED estimates on what a return to third level tuition fees will produce are being considered by the Department of Education and Science.
The figures were compiled by the Higher Education Authority at the request of Minister Batt O'Keeffe.
The authority looked at the likely income generated by fees from students from households of different means.
It is understood that the expected income from such fees is considerably above the €15m figure arrived at some years ago when Noel Dempsey was Minister for Education. Depending on the income threshold used it could be up to €100m or more.
Embarrassment
Last week Mr O'Keeffe admitted he was embarrassed over an error in figures prepared by an economist friend of his who had overestimated the fees income by some €400m a year.
Meanwhile, more than 1,000 students from four third level institutions took to the streets of Limerick yesterday to protest over the proposed re-introduction of student fees.
Graduates and undergraduates from University of Limerick, Limerick Institute of Technology, Mary Immaculate College of Education and Limerick School of Art and Design held the noisy protest march through the city centre at lunch time.
Carrying placards and posters, students chanted their opposition to the proposed measure throughout the two-hour demonstration which caused serious traffic disruption.
Fees, or some variation of them, will be the main talking point at a meeting between the minister and university heads today.
The heads have moved away from a straight- forward return of fees to a combination of top-up fees and income-contingent loans.
But the big unanswered question is who would put up the loan money. The minister said yesterday this would be an "issue" in the current economic climate. He also said he had not yet read the submission from the Irish Universities Association.
The submission says loans would shift the focus of funding away from parents towards the individual student. The requirement to contribute to the cost of education should foster higher standards, it said.
It added that a decision in principle needs to be taken quickly so that the implementation process of a loans scheme can be properly planned.
But the Union of Students in Ireland said it was strongly opposed to any possible introduction of an Australian-type student loan system.
"USI is maintaining its stance that using the suggested model of the Australian loan system is both illogical and short-sighted. The model has been slated by many critics and is at present under review in Australia," said USI president Shane Kelly.
Meanwhile, the trade union SIPTU attacked calls for the re-introduction of fees. Union economist Marie Sherlock said the calls were side-stepping the question of how to "fund, incentivise and support students" at all levels within the system.
"The free fees scheme has played a crucial part in increasing access to third level education across all the socio-economic groups.
"In its recent Education at Glance 2008 report, Ireland is highlighted as having the most equitable of third level education systems by the OECD," she added.
- John Walshe and Barry Duggan
