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Forget fees and loans: leave our students alone

Issued : Wednesday 24 September, 2008

Labour Party Spokesperson for Education and Science, Ruairi Quinn TD has said that it would be unwise for Batt O'Keeffe to go along with the Presidents of the Irish Universities Association's plan for an 'Australian' model of third level fees, particularly when this model has been discredited within Australia itself.

Deputy Quinn said: "Having embraced the concept of reintroducing fees and initially agreeing with the idea of a threshold which would only affect the highest earners, the University Presidents have learnt that €35 million is unlikely to solve their needs for increased funding. Hence we see their support for the 'Australian' model of loans, which presumably will apply to those earning far less than €120,000, if any sum over €35 million is to be raised by such a scheme".

"The new Australian Labor government have ordered a review of this much criticised system, with a view to scrapping it. There is close to AUS $15 billion worth of unpaid fees outstanding, as students are more than happy to move country and get a de facto free education."

"Had the leaders of our third level sector conducted robust research and produced well tested financial models, they would have realised that this 'Australian' model is totally inadequate. How can we take them seriously when the very solution they propose is being challenged in its own backyard? I suggest they, and the Minister, go back to the drawing board. If we want a genuine world class university sector we need increased funding from general taxation, not sly cutbacks or creative accounting."

"The debate on reintroducing third level fees misses the point and ignores the financial neglect of education by this government. Any successful effort to reintroduce fees will result in a commensurate fall in exchequer funding to the third level sector. Fees are not a panacea to third level spending deficits. On the contrary, they are a cutback in disguise, wrapped up in the disguise of making our universities better institutions."