Third-level investment impossible without return of fees, warns report

THE Government will be unable to increase investment in third-level education unless it re-introduces college fees, international experts have found.

The proposed withdrawal of the free fees system is recommended in a long-awaited review of the Irish third-level system carried out for the Government by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

The plans are likely to generate strong political opposition after Education Minister Noel Dempsey’s efforts to bring back tuition fees for some students were firmly rejected by the Progressive Democrats last year.