Sir. The decision to abolish university fees has been both unwise and retrogressive. The effect has been to make university education available free of charge to the children of the wealthiest members of our society without in any way addressing the severe financial difficulties that inhibit access to university education to those from the poorest and most disadvantaged sections of society.
These problems of access can best be addressed by increasing maintenance grants and the number of entrance scholarships. A great university such as Stanford has shown that it is possible for universities to combine high fees with access to those from poorer backgrounds.
A further effect of the abolition of fees is to remove power from the universities themselves and to transfer it to the State. This unwelcome development is also evident in the passage of the Universities Bill in which the autonomy of Trinity College in particular is threatened by the imposition of external members on the Board or governing body of Trinity College, and by the threat in sections 19 and 20 of the Bill to suspend the governing bodies of universities, adding a layer of overbearing legislation to the existing and perfectly adequate law of the land. We can only continue to carry out our function as a liberal and humane institution if we remain free from political interference.
We seek to preserve and strengthen our traditions into the next century, but can only do so if we retain our ancient freedoms and draw upon the resources of all sections of our society. Yours, etc., (Economics), (Engineering), (English), (Spanish and Portuguese), (Fellows of TCD), Trinity College, Dublin 2.