In his first interview, new UCC president Dr Michael Murphy has proposed that college fees should be reintroduced to allow Irish universities to compete on equal terms with their international counterparts. He accepts there is virtually no prospect of this happening in the run-up to the general election. But he contends, in effect, that the Irish university sector cannot meet the lofty objectives set for it by Government without fees and/or other new revenue streams.
Four years ago, a landmark Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report on the third-level sector said it needed a quantum leap in funding if it was to compete with the world's best. Substantial progress has been made since then but much of this involves catch-up funding. The harsh reality is that leading Irish colleges are managing on budget levels which are only a fraction of those available to comparable top-ranked universities in other OECD countries. They have fewer staff per student, less public funding and a less developed infrastructure.
Many senior figures in Irish education believe this funding crisis can only be resolved by the reintroduction of college fees. Fees of about €5,000 per year for arts and business courses could generate more than €200 million per year. Dr Murphy also raises a legitimate question in this context: is society entitled to expect something back from those who have enjoyed a high level of disposable income in the past decade?
At present, many better-off parents are using money that might otherwise have been needed to cover the cost of third-level courses to finance second-level education in private fee-paying schools or grind schools. This in itself is having an adverse impact on the State education system. Is there a case for the return of fees for those who can afford to pay them? The Taoiseach appeared to believe so four years ago when he signalled to the Dáil that those earning €100,000 or more should be asked to pay college tuition fees. But the Government backed away from the issue after proposals - floated by then education minister Noel Dempsey - failed to muster support around the Cabinet table.
Minister for Education Mary Hanafin says fees are off the political agenda for the foreseeable future. Her position is not surprising in the run-up to the election. But the awkward truth is that this issue will not go away. Government cannot have it both ways. It cannot demand a world -class performance from the university sector without providing world-class resources and supports. Dr Murphy deserves credit for reopening this debate.