Universities have not applied to raise fees, committee hears

NO SPECIFIC application to increase college fees has been made by universities, an Oireachtas committee has heard.

And colleges insisted that no agreement has been made by the Department of Education with the colleges to hike up fees.

Any increase would have to be recommended by colleges, claimed the Irish Universities Association’s chief executive Ned Costello.

The association said it has not been consulted about putting up fees.

Recent reports suggest the Government is considering a significant increase in the maximum registration fee of €900 in the context of the budget. Students have reacted furiously.

Mr Costello did admit, however, that colleges favoured an eventual tuition fees system which would see students pay part of the expense.

“The universities have concluded that the most equitable approach to individual contributions is via income-contingent, deferred loans and top-up fees,” he said.

The association does not favour reintroducing the old fees system, in place prior to 1996, where students paid all fees as they went through college.

Committee chairman Paul Gogarty warned, however, that any deferred loan system might see a ‘brain drain’, with students going overseas to study.

Colleges disagree and say a similar deferral and top-up fees system exists in Britain, where almost 10,000 Irish students go for third-level education every year. The system was not a deterrent, added Mr Costello.

College chiefs were sceptical about any suggestions over a specific third-level tax, saying it would be difficult to ring-fence within Government funds.

University bosses ad-mitted they were keen to attract foreign and specifically non-EU students for courses.

Those outside the EU pay fees, sometimes in the region of tens of thousands of euros, depending on the course.

It was important not to overload the third-level system with foreign, paying students though, warned Professor Ferdinand von Prondzynski. Chinese students did not come to Ireland to meet other Chinese students, he said.

Some college chiefs admitted their restricted funds meant cuts were already been made.

University College Cork’s Dr Michael Murphy said his college had cut staff, library facilities as well as counselling services for students.

UCD vice president Dr Philip Nolan said the college’s library was reverting to pre-2003 opening hours to save costs.