The Minister for Education, Mr al Martin, was accused yesterday of a cynical U-turn over his refusal to abolish fees or introduce higher education grants for students in private third-level colleges.
But Mr Martin denied reneging on a pre-election commitment to put students in private colleges on an equal footing with those attending State-funded institutions.
He said that in his election manifesto he had made it clear that the 'desired commitments' to private colleges were subject to resources. 'Obviously there's a limit to what any minister for education can achieve in any one year and indeed in the lifetime of any one government,' he added, in an interview on RTE radio's News at One.
However, the Fine Gael education spokesman, Mr Richard Bruton, said the Minister's ruling out of higher education grants for more than 4,000 students in the private sector was 'the latest in a series of cynical U-turns'.
'This decision flies in the face of written pre-election promises made by Minister Martin when he was opposition spokesman on education,' he added. Labour's education spokesman, Mr Brian O'Shea, said the fees for private colleges had provided Mr Martin with 'endless ammunition to lash out at the government' when he was in opposition.
One Dublin institution, Portobello College, has instituted High Court proceedings seeking the extension of 'free fees' to the private sector.
A spokesman for the Minister said one commitment was the planned introduction in September of a grants scheme for post-Leaving Certificate students.
He said funding for private colleges would be considered after a bonding system was in place. However, Ms Jean Kilcullen of the Higher Education Colleges Association said the bonding and fees issues had never been linked.
