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.