Fees, grants, loans: PS
Interviewed today on RTE television, the Minister for Communications, Eamon Ryan TD, indicated his willingness to consider the introduction of a student loans framework to help fund higher education. He said that any such framework needed to be structured in such a way so as not to discourage or prevent those from disadvantaged backgrounds from taking third level courses, and also needed to provide a more stable funding system for universities and colleges.
The Minister’s statement is significant because it may suggest that the Green Party is willing to support the proposal likely to be made to the cabinet by the Minister for Education and Science; the position of the Green Party had been the subject of some speculation, particularly in the light of the Party’s previous opposition to tuition fees. The Minister’s caveats in the matter seem entirely sensible.
However, my earlier point remains: the discussions around this need to involve the universities and colleges – they should not be bystanders as their future financial viability is debated.
Tags: Eamon Ryan, Green Party, student loans, tuition fees
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July 13, 2009 at 8:16 am
A normally up-beat, glass half-full type. I have a sick feeling about this.
July 13, 2009 at 8:34 am
Vincent – do expand on that!
July 13, 2009 at 3:33 pm
This is an opportunity to cleave the knot that is the Universities problem. And cleave it down to the good wood. But as with the HSC, these reforms will just add another layer of tangles to an already huge knot.
At one point I was a full believer in free fees, now I hold that any good is way offset by the real harm done to others.
And all I see so far from this spitball is that everyone will pay regardless.