Wednesday, 29.10.2008
College fees review to be completed within 6 months

A STUDY on third-level funding options - including fees - is being fast-tracked for the Government. Education Minister Batt O'Keeffe declared last month that he personally backs the return of college fees in some form. <br /><br /> Principal officer of the Department of Education, Jerome Kelly, told the Joint Committee on Education and Science that the study would be completed within the next six months. <br /><br /> Mr Kelly said the review would look at university funding systems in Australia, Britain and Scandinavia without making any pre-judgment. <br /><br /> He said the question of fees had already attracted a number of comments and the department would welcome submissions from interested parties. <br /><br /> The study is part of a new national strategy for higher education that is expected to take around 18 months to complete. <br /><br /> The minister has questioned why the taxpayer should fund people who could well afford to pay. He has stressed that any proposals would have to be approved by cabinet. <br /><br /> Statistics show that in 1998 just 23% of students from lower income groups entered higher education, increasing to 33% in 2004. <br /><br /> Higher income groups and farmers account for the highest entry rates. <br /><br /> There were 140,000 full-time students in third level education between 2006/07, with overall participation rates increasing from 20% in 1980 to its current level of 55%. <br /><br /> There is already concern about the financial situation of some colleges. <br /><br /> The Higher Education Authority (HEA) said that the sector's deficit might exceed €35 million, when accumulated deficits at the end of September 2007 and reported deficits for 2008 are taken into account. <br /><br /> HEA chief executive Tom Boland said Ireland needed more graduates but warned that funding would be a problem. <br /><br /> State funding of third-level has increased from €1.5 billion in 2004 to €2bn in 2008 with the grant to universities and institutes of technology increasing from €1.1bn in 2004 to €1.38bn in 2008.