Sir, – Dr Stephen Kelly (December 3rd) correctly identifies the value of tutorial-based learning in university. But any proposal to finance education from individual student loans misses the point that state-funded education not only represents a public good, but is actually the foundation of a modern progressive society. It tempers social inequality by providing universal access, enriches student experience through inclusiveness and contributes to social cohesion by redistributing wealth for the common good.
The real issue here is not lack of money, but how it is directed. There is always money for bank bailouts, public inquiries and golden handshakes.
Rather than proposing that students be saddled with debt before they even enter the workforce, public funding of education should be recognised as an essential investment in the future of both our young people and the country. – Yours, etc,
MAEVE HALPIN,
Ranelagh, Dublin 6.