Registration fees hike 'to maintain education quality'

COLLEGE registration fees will have to rise if the quality of education for third-level students is to be maintained, the head of the country's second largest university has claimed. Dr Michael Murphy was speaking as he launched a strategic plan for University College Cork (UCC), which sets a target of increasing non-Exchequer funding by 50%, or up to €12 million a year, by 2012.

After the Government parties' recent agreement that tuition fees will not be brought in during the lifetime of the current coalition, questions have been raised about the possibility that the €1,500 upper limit on registration fees colleges can charge for student services could be increased.

Asked if UCC will be requesting such an increase in the absence of income from tuition fees, Dr Murphy said they would be doing so.

"Our responsibility is to do everything we possibly can to make sure the quality of what is delivered here is as good as we can possibly make it. We will seek funding from whatever source to do that, and fees paid by those who ultimately benefit from the education are part of that equation," said Dr Murphy, who strongly supported the idea of a student contribution being introduced by Education Minister Batt O'Keeffe.

But in an interview with the Irish Examiner, he said the number of places for non-fee paying students [those from Ireland and other EU countries] may have to be restricted to protect the quality of our higher education system.

Dr Murphy also urged the Government not to slash funding for research programmes in the December budget as it could send out an international signal that would have a hugely damaging effect on the reputation of our higher education system and the potential for future investment here.

The key focus of UCC's alternative funding efforts will be an increase in the proportion of its students from overseas to at least 20%, up from around 13% of its present enrolments of 19,000.

"This area is a big opportunity for us and other countries have gone about it in a very co-ordinated way.

"For example, the British Council has offices in almost every capital city promoting higher education in Britain, and third level education is Australia's third most important export," he said.

But Dr Murphy was critical of the fact that planned legislation for a statutory body to promote Irish higher education internationally was abandoned, while three million students sought international education globally last year.

"We would have preferred that an agency with specific responsibility for this would have been set up," said Dr Murphy.