College fees must be reintroduced to achieve equal access

A POLITICAL decision must be taken to reintroduce college fees if Government plans for equal access are to be achieved, an education expert said yesterday.

Professor Michael Shattock from the University of London’s Institute of Education said the inequality of a higher education system to which all taxpayers contribute, but from which only the wealthy benefit, has to be addressed.

He was the author of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) review of Irish third-level education published in September. Among its recommendations were that college students who can afford it should make a financial contribution to their education.

“There are schools in Irish cities where 90% of students go on to higher education, just a couple of miles from schools where only maybe 5% do. In a just and civil society, you have to do something about that,” he said. “It’s a big step for any government, and there are political imperatives, so I’m not surprised that the Irish Government has not taken it on board immediately. But I think it’s going to be a growing issue, not just in Ireland but across the whole of Europe.”

Directors of a number of institutes of technology (ITs) have expressed concern about the OECD’s recommendation that the awarding of doctorates be restricted to the seven universities.

However, Prof Shattock said the OECD review team did not intend to limit research activity at ITs. “The resources needed for high levels of postgraduate research are too much to have in all 20 higher education institutes. The doctoral research can go on in ITs, but the support structures and awarding of these degrees should be maintained by universities.

“The ITs play an extraordinarily important regional role and should move in the direction of applied research links with small and medium enterprise, and regional economic activity,” he said.

Prof Shattock was speaking at a conference on university reforms hosted by University College Cork in association with the Conference of Heads of Irish Universities and the Higher Education Authority (HEA). Chief science adviser to the Government Dr Barry McSweeney said it is vital that universities become the drivers of the knowledge-based economy and that targets are set for research and development activities.

He told the conference that the information technology, biotechnology and supporting areas would be the most important in the coming years, but that it is also important to develop interest in science from as early as primary school.

Dr McSweeney described a recent recommendation of the National Competitiveness Council, that physics, chemistry and biology be merged as a single science subject for Leaving Certificate, as “fluff logic”.