AS MORE than 15,000 people protested against the potential return of college fees yesterday, Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe signalled that student loans or a graduate tax could form a key part of the Government’s plans for third-level funding.
Traffic in Dublin city centre was brought to a standstill as protesters from third-level institutions across the country marched from Parnell Square to the gates of Government Buildings on Merrion Square to say they will not pay for shortcomings in the education sector’s budget.
The march, which was organised by the Union of Students in Ireland (USI), started shortly before 2pm and moved across the city to the beat of steel drums and chants of “no cutbacks, no fees, no Fianna Fáil TDs”.
Placards bearing slogans such as “Obama wants change, you can’t have ours” and “don’t steal our future to hide your incompetence” summed up the spirit of the march, which gardaí estimate involved over 15,000 people.
USI president Shane Kelly said the event allowed students to voice their concerns about fees, which he believes would turn higher education into an unaffordable luxury for many people.
“We’re not going to stand by and allow the Government to use us as scapegoats to fund massive deficits that have been allowed to develop by the presidents of the universities,” he said.
Mr Kelly said the Government, as part of its economic recovery plan, needs to invest in the education sector to make it easier for people who have lost jobs to retrain and find new employment.
He also said the protest demonstrated that the student movement is not “dormant” and that the USI had registered at least 40,000 voters ahead of June’s local and European elections.
When the march reached Merrion Square, the students were addressed by Brian Hayes and Ruairí Quinn, the Fine Gael and Labour spokesmen on education, Sinn Féin Senator Pearse Doherty former Socialist Party TD Joe Higgins and the general secretary of the Irish Federation of University Teachers Mike Jennings.
Mr Quinn said students did not cause the financial crisis and should not be made to pay for it. Mr Jennings said university presidents would be naive to think they could collect fees and continue to receive Government funding.
It also emerged yesterday that the senior academic who established the Australian Higher Education Contribution Scheme has recently been briefing senior officials in Dublin. Bruce Chapman pioneered the much imitated system where students repay the cost of their higher education through the taxation system once they reach an income threshold.
Education sources say this kind of graduate tax is viewed as a real policy option, and could be a better alternative than a return to the traditional fees regime. Officials have also been examining a system where students would receive a discount if they paid their contribution in advance. Mr O’Keeffe will present a range of options to the Cabinet in April.
Education sources say any new fees regime will only apply to new entrants from September next.
Yesterday the Ministers spokesman said the new national strategy on higher education, expected to be announced this week, will be important in identifying the means of ensuring that higher education is geared to support our strategic economic development ambitions.
He said: “Leading higher education systems internationally are characterised by wide revenue sources that, in many cases, include a form of direct student contribution through a form of tuition fee or student loans system.”