Thomas Byrne
Ceist:201. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a review of third level fees will occur further to the impact of Covid-19. [12163/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 23 June 2020
Ceisteanna (201)
Freagraí scríofa
Under my Department’s free fees schemes, the Exchequer provides funding toward the tuition fee costs of eligible undergraduate students with students paying the student contribution which stands at €3,000 since 2014/2015. It is important to recognise that the Exchequer pays this contribution (or part of it) on behalf of almost 50% of undergraduate students as part of the student support grant.
The projected financial impact of Covid19 on Higher Education and the Tertiary Education system as a whole is being assessed by the Department of Education and Skills as part of its ongoing analysis of the impact of Covid19 on the education sector overall. The provision of additional financial support to support Tertiary Education to ensure that it can contribute fully to economic recovery and to meeting priority skill needs will be examined in the context of overall expenditure management and budgetary policy. The Department will continue to engage with key stakeholders to safeguard the recovery of the tertiary education sector.
Where students do not meet the eligibility criteria of the Free Fees Initiative, for example full-time undergraduate students who do not qualify for the free tuition fees; fees for part-time undergraduates or; any post-graduate students, it is a matter for the higher education institution as an autonomous body to determine which fee rate is applicable for students.
Third level institutions are autonomous entities responsible for their own day-to-day operations, management and administration. Any determination as to the level of fees to be charged is a matter for them in light of their own particular conditions and circumstances, and there are no current plans for the Department to undertake a specific review in that regard.
However my Department is undertaking a comprehensive economic review currently which is progressing under the European Commission DG Reform’s Structural Reform Support Programme. This review is focussed on Increasing the Future Sustainability of Higher and Further Education Provision in Ireland. The review encompasses an assessment of the funding options for higher education included in the 2016 (Cassells) Report of the Expert Group on Future Funding of Higher Education which includes the student contribution charge. The study is scheduled to be substantially complete in Q4 2020.