Elephant in the room

THE question of who should pay for third level education has been an elephant in the room of politics for most of a decade — but never so much as it is in our current economic doldrums.

For a system that our political leaders wish to accommodate almost three-in-four school leavers, our higher education colleges are vastly underfunded. With cuts to their non-pay budget of 5% already pencilled in for 2011 and more likely after Tuesday’s budget, the questions of who should pay, in what proportion, and what quality of education they should expect have never been so pertinent.

The responses around this issue in the Irish Examiner/Millward Brown Lansdowne national opinion poll make clear there is very little support for any increase in college registration fees. Only 4% of participants consider it the fairest of a range of options which is fewer than those who would rather see a property tax introduced (11%) or the minimum wage being cut (7%), and barely more than the 3% who would opt for cuts to old age pensions, with the strongest opposition to raising fees in 18 to 24-year-olds.

However, in the same week that our poll was carried out, Education Minister Mary Coughlan revealed the current student services charge of €1,500 will go up to €2,000 next autumn, followed by further rises in the following three years.

(It was less than €400 a decade ago and €800 in 2007).

No Irish government will relish the idea of pushing up costs of third level, but any future taoiseach or education minister realistic about having a smart economy needs to bite this bullet quickly.

The long-overdue report of the strategy group chaired by economist Colin Hunt, setting out the shape of our higher education system for the next 20 years, is expected to recommend a contribution to the cost of third level degrees by students themselves after they graduate and begin earning.

This is considered a fair system by proponents of such a loans system — including Ms Coughlan’s predecessor Batt O’Keeffe as being fair — as it takes account of the higher earnings likely to be secured by college graduates.

On the other hand, student representatives and other groups claim any system other than free third level education does not account for the higher rate of tax paid on those increased incomes.

Both sides make valid arguments but nobody can argue that the current system is the most equitable. Nor can anyone deny that rising numbers of students are dropping out or not going to college in the first place for financial reasons.

The 70,000-plus (almost half) of third level students who get State financial support include a small proportion for whom the registration fee is paid but who do not receive a maintenance grant. But for those whose families earn just more than the qualifying incomes, an annual cost of €2,000 and more will surely be a deterrent, particularly when students struggle to find part-time jobs.

Whoever has the reins of power next year must tackle the entire issue head-on. But with Fine Gael proposing a graduate tax system, under which third level graduates would pay an additional contribution similar to PRSI, and the Labour Party firmly opposed to any form of tuition fees, it could be years or even decades before this question is resolved.

As long as it is left in limbo, however, so too may be the futures of a rising proportion of able students for whom higher education will be an aspiration rather than a reality.

Equally as importantly, the quality of education on offer to those who pay for it in one way or another will continue to decrease. College bosses have admitted this is already happening and this must be addressed by long-needed reforms of academics’ roles being discussed under the Croke Park agreement.

But even with that, there will be an annual shortfall of hundreds of million euro that will leave Ireland lagging behind other countries for whom a knowledge economy may be more of a reality than our ambitions.

Somebody will have to pay and it has to start happening soon, but no longer at the expense of those who have the ability — but not the cash — to go to college.

A VERY DIFFERENT FUTURE FOR US

THE €2,000 student charge being imposed on third level undergraduates is a massive worry for arts student Audrey Walsh.

The 19-year-old from Dunnamaggin, Co Kilkenny is in her second year of studying English and politics at University College Cork.

Because she does not qualify for a grant, she is liable for the full charge, which has been €1,500 for the past two years. The four-year National Recovery Plan published 10 days ago said the newly-named “student contribution charge” will rise by €500 next autumn and continue to increase through to 2014.

Audrey comes from a one-income family and her brother and sister will finish their second level education in two and three years’ time.

“The year before I came to UCC the charge was €900 but now it’s going to be €2,000 and going up again, where does it stop?” Audrey asked.

“It’s a strain on my parents. Every time we hear about an increase, I worry about being able to finish my degree. I’m also worried about whether my brother and sister will be able to go to college”.

Audrey hopes to do a masters degree in journalism after graduating — but that or the hope of work feel slim to her now.

“I’ve been trying so hard to get a job, I’m sending out CVs since June, but people aren’t even getting back to me,” she said.

“For some people the €2,000 might be ‘only an extra €500’, but it’s a lot when you’re expected to pay it in full with no work.

“Everyone is leaving, people I know are going to Canada mostly, including people with masters degrees,” she said.

Things haven’t reached that stage for Audrey but she is pessimistic about her generation’s future.

“We were raised during the Celtic Tiger and told we could have any job we wanted. But now we’re in college, it seems so bleak.”