Taxpayer to pay for the massive shortfall in third-level funding

Ministers will back a significant increase worth hundreds of millions of euro in additional funding each year to secure the third-level sector. Picture: Maxwells

The cost of addressing the massive shortfall in funding to third-level colleges will be borne by the taxpayer, not students or employers, under long-awaited plans to be approved by Cabinet today.

Ministers will back a significant increase worth hundreds of millions of euro in additional funding each year to secure the third-level sector, the Irish Examiner can reveal.