Colleges disagree on abolition of free fees

RESEARCHERS and university heads are strongly in favour of abolishing free college fees, but any such move is opposed by top staff in institutes of technology, a survey has revealed.

However, all three groups are agreed that government funding is far less than what is required for basic teaching and learning, despite significant increases for research facilities in recent years.

The study, carried out for the Higher Education Authority (HEA), which oversees funding to the universities and IoTs, found that the vast majority of academics, administrators, researchers and industry leaders believe the absence of a national higher education strategy is hindering the sector’s advancement.