Third-level funding - Fees must not exclude anyone

THE debate about the reintroduction of third-level fees has trundled along for some time now and it may reach a conclusion of sorts when Finance Minister Brian Lenihan introduces his emergency budget on April 7.

We all recognise the absolute importance of these institutions and we depend on them to educate the people who will sustain and run this society in the not-so-distant future.

Yesterday, Fine Gael threw their hat in the ring by proposing a funding system that would see students pay 30% of the cost of their courses once they had graduated and had begun working.