Students and parents across the country were rightfully rattled this week as 50,000 CAO applicants received their first round college offers against the backdrop of the looming threat of the reintroduction of college fees.

They say the mark of a society is how it treats its prisoners but what about the prisoners of our education system? Many primary school children in this country are being taught in classrooms that are rat infested, freezing, never mind not having the basic facilities to provide them with a well rounded education. Now would-be college students' future prospects hang in the balance as the government seems intent on reintroducing fees.

The debate on the reintroduction of fees thus far has focused on a free versus paid-for education, implying Irish children currently receive a free education. They don't! If they did, it wouldn't cost the bones of €400 to buy books for a first year secondary school student and parents wouldn't be forced to shell out for various add-ons on an almost weekly basis.

A college education certainly isn't free. The Union of Students in Ireland estimates that the average third level student will spend between €30,000 and €50,000 on living expenses over the course of a four year degree, while the International Education Board says the average student will spend between €7,500 and €12,000 per year depending on location and lifestyle. That's between €30,000 and €48,000 over the course of a four year degree.

The re-introduction of college fees it is argued would allow for further investment in primary and secondary education, so that every child has at least a chance at a basic education. All very well and good if we could guarantee any money taken in from college fees would be reinvested in the school system, which is doubtful in the wake of calls for greater funding for third level.

There are other options. PD Leader Ciarán Cannon has suggested a loan system similar to that operated in Australia, where students pay back fees over a number of years post graduation.

Meanwhile, Education Minister Batt O'Keeffe has vowed to only apply college fees to families earning well in excess of €100,000 a year. Let's hope these avenues are exhausted first because the flat reintroduction of college fees is impossible to reconcile with the government's commitment to a knowledge-based economy.

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