The report in today's editions of this newspaper that a Government appointed expert committee is to examine the feasibility of abolishing third-level fees for some mature students is a welcome, if not entirely unexpected, development. At this stage, as Dr Daniel O'Hare, chairman of The Expert Group on Future Skills Needs, has emphasised, this is only one option under discussion. But it may be that the notion of free education for some mature students is an idea whose time has come. There has long been a case for abolishing college fees for such students on the grounds of equity; these days, there is also a very strong economic imperative.
There is no doubt, as Dr O'Hare points out, that the level of fees is a barrier to participation by adults in further education. According to the Conference of Religious in Ireland (CORI), only one-third of adults in this State participate in adult education programmes, a very low figure in comparison with other OECD states. CORI has argued forcefully that adult education should be an entitlement for all those who did not complete a full formal education. The employers' group, IBEC, has also lobbied for some form of "fee support" for mature students as the best means of allowing the workforce update skills. According to IBEC small businesses in particular cannot afford to underwrite the high cost of college fees for members of their workforce.
It is difficult not to see the merit in the case made by both of these lobby groups. This State may now pride itself on its "world-class" education system but it is worth recalling that some 40 per cent of the population left school before the age of 15. Many have been denied a full education because of economic circumstances; in this more enlightened and more prosperous age all deserve a second chance.
According to CORI, only a tiny fraction of the education budget is invested in adult education. To its credit, the Government has identified the importance of the issue and it is moving to upgrade the range of services. Last month, the Minister of State, Mr Willie O'Dea, announced a new £35 million guidance service designed to assist adult learners with their education, training and employment needs. The Government is also preparing a White Paper on Adult Education, which will examine how people can be encouraged to upgrade their skills and/or retrain. The notion of a quota system, a form of positive discrimination which might help to increase participation by mature students in education, was also mooted recently by the Points Commission.
In deciding on the issue of college fees for mature students, the Government will clearly be guided by the costs involved. But it must also look to the wider picture, not least the needs of the economy and the battle against social exclusion in all its forms. There is also the general equity question. Why should mature students - who may have paid income tax throughout their working lives - be denied the free college fees regime enjoyed by other third-level students?