Students must tread carefully

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern is luckier than most because, as he said himself, he was able to afford to educate one of his daughters in a private college.

Too many people simply cannot afford to do likewise, which is precisely why Minister for Education Noel Dempsey is completely wrong in considering the re-introduction of third-level fees.

The notion, as suggested by Mr Ahern, that they might only be introduced for people on high incomes is flawed on two grounds.