THE POSSIBLE return of third-level fees and the introduction of a graduate tax will be among the issues considered by a new national strategy for higher education, which the Government will unveil in the autumn.
But sources say the Minister for Education Batt O'Keeffe has signalled there are no plans to bring back fees at present, despite growing pressure from several university presidents.
The new strategy will be worked out by an expert group made up of academics, student representatives, business people and other vocational interests. It will be supported by a secretariat staffed by senior figures from the Department of Education and the Higher Education Authority.
Yesterday the Department of Education said; "It is anticipated that work will commence on the development of a Higher Education Strategy in the autumn. It is not possible to comment on funding implications until the strategy has been developed."
The issue of future funding for the sector is set to dominate discussions. Already, the universities have signalled that cutbacks in services are inevitable after a 3 per cent payroll cut ordered by Mr O'Keeffe last month.
This week, third-level institutions are seeking a 6.5 per cent increase in their core grant from the Department of Education, but they are likely to get less than half of this.
The financial crisis facing the colleges has triggered fresh speculation about the return of fees. Several senior Ministers acknowledge third-level colleges need stronger financial support in order to compete internationally. But the return of fees - which is opposed by the Opposition parties - would be hugely controversial.
However, the new national strategy will have little choice but to consider the issue. It is also expected to examine other funding options, including an Australian-style graduate tax where the cost of third-level education is taken from earnings.
The abolition of college fees has helped to widen access to third level. But it also led to a boom in private education with many parents paying about €5,000 per year to fee-paying schools.
Four years ago, the then education minister Noel Dempsey sought to re-introduce fees but the initiative drew strong protests from Fianna Fáil backbenchers and the PDs. However, opinion polls at the time showed a surprisingly high level of support for the Dempsey plan.
The Government has set ambitious targets for the third-level sector. It says the percentage of school leavers attending college should increase from 58 per cent to over 70 per cent within a decade . But an increase in student numbers from 140,000 at present to about1' 180,000 within a decade would cost an additional €500 million.
The new national strategy will be the first overview of the sector since the OECD review in 2004. The new strategy will;
Clarify the main national ambitions for higher education over the next number of years;
Survey the operational environment for higher education and research, analyse the demands likely to be placed on the system and review capacity to meet those demands;
Review the current use of resources and identify medium- term resource needs of the sector.
The OECD review in 2004 backed the return of tuition fees and a "quantum leap" in funding in order to boost the international standing of the third-level sector in the Republic.
