Everyone’s Experience Of College Is Not The Same
Everyone’s Experience Of College Is Not The Same
By Atakan Anthony Uzun
Many consider education to be a right, not a privilege. That would be the reality if you resided in a country such as France, Denmark, and other Scandinavian nations which invest heavily in education and subsidise third level fees through general taxation. In line with the policies of these countries, Article 13 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights emphasises that “education should be made available and accessible, and that there should be a progressive introduction of free access to secondary and higher education”. However, this is not currently the reality in Ireland. At €3,000, Ireland’s tuition fees are the highest in the EU. These fees have increased by 278% since 2008, having reached their current levels in 2011. Since then, despite the unpopularity of tuition fees with most students and student union organisations across Irish universities, they continue to be maintained.
Coupled with this, successive governments have failed to substantially invest in third level education, treating such institutions as private operators or enterprises. As a result, Ireland has one of the most privatised higher education systems in the EU. Inevitably, this has resulted in a perfect storm for the sector. Due to the lack of public funding for colleges, the burden has been left to students to fund the activities of universities across the country through the charging of tuition fees as these universities cannot avail of funding from the government. The absence of investment in third level education by the government impacts on various students across the country, especially those on low incomes who struggle to cope with the costs of college. If you were to come from a disadvantaged or low-income background, and study a four-year course in UCC, unless you qualify for the SUSI grant, finding €3,000 per academic year is unrealistic and unattainable.
It also impacts on the profile of students going on to attend third level education by preventing education for all. This is evident through the gap between students from affluent backgrounds attending third level institutions compared to those from lower income backgrounds throughout the country. A report conducted by the Higher Education Authority in 2020 demonstrated that students from wealthier backgrounds are twice as likely to attend
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third level institutions compared to students from the most disadvantaged areas. This wide attainment gap is further reflected at UCC. According to the report, 35% of those from affluent or wealthy backgrounds study at UCC, which is the second highest of any university in the country, compared to 5% who attend the university from disadvantaged backgrounds. Having taken this into consideration, your assumption would likely be, why is this the case? Why is there a wide gap between affluent students and students from disadvantaged backgrounds attending third level institutions throughout the country?
If you were to ask students, you would assume that the key reason is the lack of investment in third level education by successive governments. The only targeted assistance funding the current government puts into third level education is through the SUSI grant scheme whilst continuing to maintain the current contribution charges. While the government announced plans to increase funding for the SUSI grant for each student by €200 per year in Budget 2022, this is the first increase in the grant since 2012. In addition, Sinead Roche, UCC Students Union Communication and Engagement Officer argues that “the current model of SUSI is evidently flawed and does not provide adequate assistance to students”. This would suggest that the current model of SUSI only reaches the tip of the iceberg for students who struggle to afford to eat or find student accommodation and the other associated costs with college. This would suggest that reform of higher education may be needed.
The Cassells Report conducted in 2016 recommends three different options for reform of the third level sector. The first option was to scrap all student contribution fees and introduce a publicly-funded model of higher education. Whilst not appearing likely in the immediate future, this option would appear to be the most popular, particularly for students struggling to pay the current fees. This is recommended by various student union organisations across the country, including the Union of Students in Ireland and UCC Students Union, with the latter arguing that the €3,000 student contribution fee should be abolished in line with option one of the Cassells Report to move to a fully publicly funded education system. A wholly publicly funded model of higher education would certainly ease the financial burdens faced by students at this present moment, and allow them to reduce the need to find part-time work.
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The second option recommended leaving the current student contribution charge in place and increasing state funding of third level institutions. While this option would improve the current situation, it may not lead to the desired extent of change needed to address the problems of the sector, unless fees are dramatically reduced. It may also appear to rely on continuation of the SUSI grant scheme for students who are unable to pay the tuition fees. As noted by the UCC Students Union, the current model of SUSI is extremely flawed and unless there are dramatic increases in funding for the grant, the status quo may persist indefinitely. The third option recommended the introduction of student loans, which would involve repayments that are related to the income of a graduate that is in employment. However, this would seem to be the most unpopular option with students being crippled with debt once they have graduated and secured employment. This perception has resonated with the current Minister for Further and Higher Education, Simon Harris, who pledged that the government would not be introducing student loans as a solution to address funding deficiencies in the higher education sector.
As students return to third level institutions this week, and Budget 2023 looms, people across the country will hope to see evidence of measures to address the significant deficiencies that are currently prevalent in the higher education sector. With rumoured reductions in tuition fees by up to €250 per year, undoubtedly, a consensus exists among students that action is needed to address the extortionate fees which they must pay. This consensus exists among the UCC Students Union with Communication and Engagement Officer, Sinead Roche arguing for a “reduction in this charge to enable education for all”. While a €250 decrease in tuition fees would be welcome for some, other solutions can be considered by the government to solve shortcomings in the higher education sector. In line with the recommendations of the majority of third level student unions across the country, one of the main solutions they can consider is to introduce a novel roadmap to end the unpopular €3,000 tuition fees. This roadmap could be published in line with option one of the Cassells report and indicate possible details of how the shortfall in funding for higher education institutions could be addressed. In 2016, the Cassells Report indicated that a forecasted shortfall in the higher education sector could reach €1bn by 2030. With the abolition of third level tuition fees, the Irish Government can address this shortfall by increasing public funding in universities through general taxation.
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This will allow these institutions to maintain their services, and provide the best quality of third level education to students, regardless of students’ ability to pay. This would also follow the recommendations set out by Article 13 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. Such an outcome could be perceived as a win-win for students and third level institutions: students are no longer left with the burden of funding third level institutions and the third level institutions themselves receive the adequate funding required for them to operate. It also decreases the stark gap between the affluent and disadvantaged students by ensuring education for all. Additionally, Sinead Roche concurs that “the commercialisation of third level education for students is causing barriers and further highlights that education should be a right not a privilege”. She also added that the “Cost of Living Protest is taking place September 17th in Cork City and in conjunction with the Union of Students in Ireland and Unions across Ireland, we are planning a student walk-out on Thursday October 13th to start tackling these issues”.