Days of free third-level education may be coming to an end

There"s a denial that the days of free third level education may be coming to an end - but much ado about how the Universities are suffering because of the lack of funding, and the start of rumblings over how there are 'other applicable models'. This is a very tricky question. In the Ireland where there were no free fees, those who could not afford to go to college could obtain grants to cover their fees. Despite that, the participation rates from the working class and the less-well off was below what it is today. Free third level education has been one of the weapons Ireland used to turn this country into the powerhouse that it has become. For the first time ever, there was a level playing field, and a third level education was in reach of everyone. Glory days. Some other countries offer students reduced rate loans which can be repaid over a long term, to cover the cost of their education. It does, however, mean that young graduates who have had to avail of these loans enter the workplace with something of a "sword of Damocles" hanging over their heads. Their obligation to repay the loan will leave them lagging behind when it comes to getting on the property ladder. There are students who will walk into well-paid jobs, but many, despite their education, are going in on the lowest rung of the ladder, and in this tightening economy, may find themselves unable to progress any higher for a long time. True there will always be grants - indeed at present, there are means-tested subsistence grants available for students. But there are many many families in this country who are not at all wealthy, but whose incomes mean their children do not qualify for these subsistence grants. It means that the parents are either paying the student"s accommodation and living expenses, or at least augmenting the sums that the young people themselves are earning from Summer or part-time work. With the reintroduction of fees, these parents may find themselves facing a double whammy. And some just won"t be able to sustain it. There will be casualties: bright youngsters who will not want to put that burden on their families, and who are too terrified of buying into a long-term debt themselves. Nonetheless, there is considerable research which says that to give the greatest all-round benefit, Governments should pour as much money as they can into primary education, rather than to third level. This, it is argued, is the best way to counter deprivation, and to help bring more children along, regardless of how half-hearted their families may be about the importance of education. It"s also because far greater numbers of people go through the primary sector than through third level - leaving fewer spaces for Irish students. Another argument being made by students themselves is that in some cases, colleges are encouraging in more and more people from abroad, so that they can levy fees on them, to make up for the fact that they are not getting fees from Irish students. Reintroducing fees would indeed provide valuable funding for Universities and other third-level institutions, and if the pressure was off the Government to provide the sort of funding these facilities require, it would also facilitate a greater spend on primary and second level education. But to be realistic, there is very little likelihood that the funding currently going to make up the 'missing' fees to third level institutions would be diverted straight into primary and secondary education. So there would be a loss all around. If third level fees are to be reintroduced, the effect this has on numbers attending third level - and the effect this has on middle-income families - should be examined carefully. There is a grave danger that a decision of this nature may take Ireland one large step backwards.