Extra €1.5m to help struggling students

An extra €1.5m is being given to colleges to help students struggling financially to stick with their studies, but uncertainty remains over any new third-level fees system.

The investment is on top of around €7.5m already provided for 2016 to the Student Assistance Fund, which is administered on campuses to those who are unable to meet the costs associated with being at college.

The additional budget was announced by Education Minister Jan O’Sullivan as she unveiled plans by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) to increase the participation of disadvantaged, mature and disabled students in third-level.

While there have been significant improvements in access by all under-represented groups in recent years, only 11% of those beginning higher education courses are from families of non-manual workers, despite making up one- in-four people aged 17 to 19.

Conversely, the children of higher professionals account for just 6% of those in this age bracket, yet they account for 13% of new college entrants each year. And while 84% of people aged 18 to 20 in Dublin 4 go to college, the figure is just 16% in Dublin 10.

The HEA’s National Access Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education aims to address such anomalies, including an increase in the representation of young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

There are also plans to increase the number of mature students, aged 23 or over, and students with disabilities to 19% and 8% of all new students by 2019.

For the first time, a target for Traveller participation in third-level is also being set, with the aim of increasing their numbers from 35 students currently to 80.

While many families will be more concerned with likely costs of going to college, the minister ruled nothing out in terms of what options might be favoured from a report due to her shortly on the future of higher-education funding.

The expert group assessing the possibilities was set up last year but no policy decisions will be made by the Government before the general election.

Asked about a student- loan system, reported to be one option set out in a draft of the group chaired by ex-Congress of Trade Unions general secretary Peter Cassells, the minister said people should not be stopped in attending third-level education.

“We do have to be conscious of whatever system goes into place in the future, that it doesn’t stop people from taking opportunities and getting opportunities.

“I would be very strongly of the view that people should be able to reach their full potential, irrespective of their background,” she said. “I haven’t got the report yet. They have one final meeting in January and then I expect I will get the report, so the intention then would be to publish it and look at the proposals,” Ms O’Sullivan said. She said she understands there will be a number of options proposed as to how higher education will be funded.

“I don’t want obstacles to be there. You could possibly say that the State would be the primary funder as well, that could be one of the options but that certainly would involve paying for it out of general taxation, so that will be part of the debate as well,” she said.