This Article was published in the Evening Echo on Tuesday 24th March 2009.

Fine Gael just this week issued the most comprehensive package of Higher Education reform seen since the abolition of third level fees by the Rainbow Government over a decade ago. (pdf 90KB)

Fine Gael Education Spokesperson Brian Hayes TD outlined targeted proposals focusing on:
• Improving access for students from weaker socio-economic backgrounds
• Improving quality assurance
• Prioritising student support
• Encouraging specialisation where it is beneficial
• Focussing on innovation and skills requirements that are vital for the future
• Improving accountability
• Providing an alternative system of funding Higher Education.

Despite the many detailed reforms outlined in the policy document it is the latter issue of funding that will be the most controversial. As a party we oppose the reintroduction of third level fees and we want to abolish registration fees such as those that increased in last October’s budget from €900 to €1,500. Our position on this is in direct conflict with the Government’s plan to reintroduce fees as a reaction to the worsening economic crisis.

Despite months of hints from the Minister for Education that third level fees are soon to reappear he has yet to bring forward any plan. The Minister has promised action but as of yet he refuses to show people how or when he would reintroduce third level fees and what other reforms if any he would introduce.

Fine Gael believes the Minister’s wish to reintroduce third level fees is nothing more than a knee jerk response to the worsening economic situation. The Minister shows no interest in reforming the Higher Education Sector for the future just saving the Government some money regardless of the pressure this will put on hard working families or the damage it will do to third level education and the economy in the long term.

Fine Gael’s opposition to the reintroduction of third level fees is not just opposition for opposition sake it is disbelief that any Government would so willingly throw away over a decade of achievement for little or no long term reward.

The Fine Gael led Rainbow Government of the mid 1990s took the step of abolishing third level fees to encourage participation in higher education and its success has been unquestionable. In 1998 the overall participation in higher education was 44% by 2004 it was 55% and the HEA estimated a participation level of 64% in 2007.

The abolition of fees removed an obstacle to participation in third level education and succeeded in increasing the number of Irish people attending Higher Education institutions. In the 2007/2008 103,551 people were enrolled in Irish Universities as full-time or part-time students with a further 66,754 enrolled in Institutes of Technology. These students are the foundation on which we must build our economic recovery and the knowledge economy we aspire to be.

The problems we face in our Higher Education Sector are not those of over participation but those of overdue reform. We need to reform the way our Higher Education Sector operates, the way it deals with students and most urgently of all the way it is funded.

The Fine Gael alternative to the reintroduction of third level fees or the creation of a student loan system is an innovative system of asking those who benefit from higher education to pay a portion of the cost of that education once they have begun to benefit financially from it.

We are proposing a system of deferred contribution where rather than their parents the graduates themselves pay once they begin to receive the economic benefit of their education. We do not believe that graduates should bear the full cost of their education at third level as this ignores the benefits to the economy and society in general of this education.

The Fine Gael scheme would work on the basis that
• Education is free at the point of entry so as not to put a financial burden on students or their families during their education
• They system should not be a disincentive to third level participation
• The contribution would be set at 30% of the unit cost of the student’s education
• There will be no interest charged on the graduate’s contribution
• The contribution could be paid in full or collected though the PRSI system
• The system will not be retrospective and will only operate for new entrants
• The contribution would be universal
• We estimate the scheme would generate up to €500m per annum.

The new funding model and the wide-ranging reforms are both part of the same policy and one cannot work without the other. We will not introduce a deferred contribution programme until meaningful and genuine reforms have been put in place.

Over the last few weeks the Government has made a big show of asking the opposition parties for constructive ideas to help move the country forward. The Minister for Education’s reaction to Brian Hayes’ suggested reform tells a different story. The reality is that despite the fact that the Government are devoid of ideas themselves they lack the moral courage to do anything constructive when Fine Gael has presented them with comprehensive plans on the economy, on consumer protection and now on Higher Education Reform.

Brian Cowen’s Government needs to start putting the future of the country before party pride.