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 eligible 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.
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.
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.
I understand that this is a time of uncertainty for students in terms of the availability of supports normally offered on-campus. The tertiary sector has responded quickly and comprehensively in the face of unprecedented challenge as a result of the current health crisis, implementing a number of swift and positive actions in order to ensure the continuity of provision of education and to ensure that adequate supports are in place for their student and staff bodies.
The need to maintain physical distancing in line with the current recommendations will result in capacity restrictions and therefore, the tertiary education sector is planning for a blended delivery of teaching and learning – combining both online and on-site provision – which will be a feature of the coming academic year.
Planning for models of blended learning is taking place against a backdrop of an evolving public health environment. The balance between face-to-face and online will vary across programmes and will depend on factors such as the disciplinary teaching and learning needs of, and the numbers of students registered on individual programmes as well as the practical/theoretical balance of learning outcomes in the programme. This will be continually monitored in line with Public Health advice.
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 provide advice in such matters.
