The proposal from the OECD that third-level fees should be re-introduced, reported in yesterday's edition, is certain to prove controversial.
The Minister for Education and Science, Mr Dempsey, has made it clear that the return of fees is off the political agenda for the foreseeable future. The opposition parties are also opposed to the abolition of the current non-fees structure. Yesterday, the Labour Party said the return of fees would undermine efforts to widen access to third-level.
But it is not enough for either Government or Opposition to state they are against fees. They should also explain how they intend to address what the OECD review exposes as the funding crisis in higher education. There remains a disconnect between the rhetoric about the creation of a "knowledge based " economy and the reality on the ground across the third-level sector. A report from the Higher Education Authority published yesterday underlines the gross underfunding in the university sector.
Far from holding vast reserves of cash, the seven universities in the State are operating with a very small surplus which is "inadequate to allow them to maintain their physical infrastructure in a fit condition" let alone give them the resources they need for longer term strategic investment.
The Government may have ambitions to place the Republic at the cutting edge of the knowledge economy but there is no escaping the harsh reality; Irish universities are operating at much lower levels of funding than our competitors. The Government's decision to cut day-to-day funding to the third-level sector by 10 per cent has exacerbated the situation.
The OECD review confirms the extent of this under- funding and says major investment will be required. The Conference of Heads of Irish Universities went to the heart of the issue yesterday. "The OECD makes the judgment that the levels of increased investment required are of such a scale that the State alone will not be able to afford them." The bottom line for universities, it says, is that they need investment levels similar to those in competitor states.
The question of how this can be achieved is set to dominate the debate on the OECD report. The third-level sector cannot be left to muddle through with its current funding levels if the ambitions that this State has set for itself are to be realised. In this context, the key question now is should those who benefit from third-level education contribute to the cost of it?