Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 December 2020
48. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his views on whether third level fees should be reduced to reflect the reality of students not physically attending college in 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41645/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to ask the Minister his views on whether third level fees should be reduced to reflect the reality of students not physically attending college in 2020, and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I thank Deputy O'Rourke for his question. I know he is interested in all these areas. In considering this issue, it is important to note that the State currently provides very substantial financial support to undergraduate students in higher education towards the cost of their studies. I have just announced a review of Student Universal Support Ireland, SUSI, this week. Currently in Ireland, about 44% of students attending college have their fees paid for in full or in part by the student grant system. There is no doubt that this support has played a very significant role in facilitating access to and growth in higher education. However, I am not satisfied that this is enough. That is why I am carrying out a full review of SUSI, to report by next summer. What was previously the preserve of a relatively small proportion of the school-leaving population is now much more widely available, as reflected in the current transfer rate from second level to third level. The Exchequer currently contributes €340 million to meeting the tuition fee costs of eligible undergraduate students in higher education. In addition, the Exchequer pays the student contribution for approximately 44% of students at a cost of more than €180 million.
While Ireland was on level 5 of the plan for living with Covid, all further and higher education institutions delivered the majority of their classes online, with only essential activities held on-site. While I appreciate that this was very disappointing for students who had hoped to have as much time on campus as possible, these measures were necessary to support halting the spread of Covid-19. As we moved to level 3, I have been honest with people that the bulk of college will remain online. There is a shared ambition between my Department and the sector to increase face-to-face learning on a phased and incremental basis. Students will be brought into college in small groups for tutorials and the like but large-scale learning will remain online for the rest of the year. Priority groups should be identified by each institution, in particular first-year students.
I have taken a number of measures this year to support students financially in other ways. The Deputy will be aware that the student assistance fund has been doubled. A €50 million financial assistance package will result in an increase of €250 in the SUSI grants going out this Friday. We will provide 17,000 laptops for students for blended or online learning. Mental health supports will be increased by an additional €3 million. I have a view on the registration fee, which I have put on the record of this House previously. Next year, we will have the European Commission's input into our economic evaluation of options for a sustainable model of funding for higher education.
I am trying to capture the unique set of circumstances of Covid-19 and the implications of it. It is different depending on one's starting position. Has there been any assessment of the implications of Covid on students, regardless of what year they are in? For some, there will be savings on accommodation but for others it has been all pain. Students have had to convert their bedrooms, install broadband and buy new laptops. Has an equality assessment been done? Have we looked to the future in terms of where we might be later this year and going into the next academic year?
That is a very valid question. Senior officials in my Department engage on a very regular basis - in fact it is every Friday morning - with representative bodies of the universities, the institute of technology sector, the Union of Students in Ireland and further education and training providers. I often attend as well. We continue to monitor and tease out issues in real time and consider issues that may be coming down the tracks regarding Covid and its impact on third level. That structure has worked pretty well.
While I do not have an analytical report available to me at this stage on the impact, I have asked about drop-out rates and suchlike and the indication so far is that there has not been any increase in drop-out rates this year. I do not wish to mislead the House. I am concerned not about the educational piece, as Quality and Qualifications Ireland reports suggest that is going quite well online in terms of standards, but about the mental health and welfare piece, as I know Deputy O'Rourke is as well. I have agreed with the colleges that they will try to get students on campus in small groups for tutorials. That cannot be beyond them. They will each have to do it in different ways, subject to the public health guidance, but that should be our shared ambition.
I think there is an important piece of work to be done to assess the impact in as comprehensive a way as possible. Depending on his or her starting point, the experience of Covid might make or break an individual in terms of the realisation of the opportunity of third level education. Some people who might have hung in there might drop out so I would encourage a continuation of that assessment in a holistic way, not just for those who drop out but also in terms of mental health and well-being.
Could the Minister give us his sense of what the next semesters will look like? I raised it with him previously in terms of trying to get first years on campus. What do the next semesters look like? I know we are ambitious about the vaccine, but we must be realistic as well. I would welcome a response from the Minister.
I think Deputy O'Rourke is a scientist so I will bow to his knowledge on that. I am sorry, I did not realise Deputy Conway-Walsh wished to speak.
Could the Minister give us an assurance that students who are severely impacted by Covid, either by getting sick themselves or by related anxiety, stress or mental health issues, will not be penalised next year? Could there be a possibility for them to repeat and still be eligible for SUSI or not have to pay the fees again if they have medical evidence?
I am certainly not ruling that out. I think we are right to keep a watching brief on all of those issues. One figure that I do have, which is perhaps in some way indicative of the financial impact of Covid on economic well-being, is the SUSI figures. They are provisional at the moment. From memory, I think approximately 72,500 people were awarded a SUSI grant last year and the total is approximately 77,000 this year. We have seen an increase in the number of people and that is even with the constraints of the current SUSI system.
One could ask what is vulnerable. Any of us can be vulnerable. I encourage any student feeling vulnerable or anxious to contact his or her university. This is not March. The doors were closed in March, but that is not the case now. Libraries and laboratories are open. One can go in and attend lectures. One can go to tutorials in small groups.
In response to Deputy O'Rourke's point, I do not like to deliver bad news but it is important to be honest for certainty. Levels 3, 4 and 5 will see the continuation of the bulk of lectures, in particular, online, in all likelihood for the rest of the college year. I am highly optimistic for the next academic year, based on our shared hopes for the vaccination programme, but we are obviously keeping this under review on an almost weekly basis.
