GMIT President, Marion Coy has said the debate on the return of college fees is a "calculated distraction" from the impact of expenditure cuts directed by the Government.

Marian Coy.

Ms Coy, who is also the Chairperson of Institutes of Technology Ireland, said the three per cent cut in pay being imposed on third-level institutes is "being implemented in a context where the institutes have effectively had no new posts sanctioned for many years."

"The capacity for further 'efficiencies' is severely limited. The HEA has told all institutes of technology that all possible pay and non-pay efficiency measures that can yield savings beyond the three per cent announced by the Government should be identified. The HEA has also stated that it seems likely that 'all options will need to be considered' to effect reductions," continued Ms Coy. Ms Coy said the institutes were facing an increase in CAO applicants and that cuts would have a negative impact on the range and number of programmes being offered.

"The institutes are particularly concerned that cuts will have a disproportionate impact on undergraduate students, and in particular disadvantaged students, the group which must be educated to the highest standards to drive change in our rapidly evolving open economy. Cuts will also make it inevitable that the government's own targets set out in the National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education cannot be met," she claimed.

The student services fee is also being increased this year, from €825 to €900. However, she said, 75 per cent of the increase is being clawed back by the Department of Education.

"This is a particularly negative development since this fee income is used exclusively for student services such as counselling and health which will now be curtailed," she explained.

"Most of those at work in Ireland today will still need to be at work in 20 years time. IOTI has also major concerns that government cuts will hamper their efforts to provide for the up-skilling and re-skilling of the growing number of workers being made redundant," Ms Coy concluded.

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