Third-level institutions may have to find more savings

THE country’s third-level institutions may have to find further savings within their spending rather than raising registration fees for students next year, Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe indicated yesterday.

He is also planning increased efforts to attract donations from international philanthropists and to bring more fee-paying international students to our colleges.

Mr O’Keeffe said that, while he still believes a student contribution should be considered, he accepts it has now been taken off the agenda because of the economic pressures facing Irish families – even though the graduate loans system he favoured would not have yielded any returns from students for at least four years.