Students warn fees would lead to elitism

THE reintroduction of college fees will isolate even more people from education, the Union of Students of Ireland warned yesterday.

Reacting to the strongest indication yet that college fees are back on the Government agenda, USI president Colm Jordan said it was a myth that only the rich would be forced to pay.

“The reintroduction of fees would make third level education a luxury for half of society, by raising the cost per student to almost 50,000. It is a myth that only the rich will be forced to pay fees. There has been enough shameless spin-doctoring. What [Education Minister Noel Dempsey] needs to clarify is what he intends to do regarding fees.

“He has said third level fees may return for those who can afford it. With regard to the grant, a family with two children in secondary school and one child in college with both parents on minimum wage ‘can afford it’,” Mr Jordan said.

Minister Dempsey is under pressure to decide quickly whether or not he is going to bring back college fees.

He is reviewing the whole of his department’s 350 million annual spend on student support, half of which goes to colleges to cover their students’ tuition fees. The minister indicated yesterday that charges might only be levied on those students whose families can afford to pay.

A spokesperson for Mr Dempsey said the review of student supports started during the summer and will continue over the next two or three months.

“It will have to be concluded before the end of the year because any decision will have to be in place well before the next academic year,” she said.

Mr Dempsey said that, while some people might have to pay fees in future, he is not interested in cutting back spending, but rather in making sure those who deserve it actually get it.

However, Fine Gael said his comments have created another layer of uncertainty for students and their families. “Could we really trust this Government to use third level fees in a way that will benefit students or is it simply the case that this is being considered by the minister to form part of the €150 million cutbacks demanded of him in 2003?” said FG education spokesperson Olwyn Enright.

The Labour Party’s education spokesperson, Joe Costello, said Mr Dempsey should devote more time to reviewing and improving the third level grants system and stop dangling the threat of fees over students.

Meanwhile, gardaí had to forcibly remove students protesting at an opening ceremony in UCD, where Junior Minister Brian Lenihan filled in for Finance Minister Charlie McCreevy yesterday morning. Mr Lenihan’s entry to the new €4.5m Institute for the Study of Social Change research building was delayed for some minutes by a small group of students who sat down at the entrance. They were calling for improved grants and attacked cutbacks made by Mr McCreevy.