Minister of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD has published the annual Cost of Education options paper.
Last year, the Department following the publication of our policy on the future of third level education in Ireland, gave a commitment to develop an annual options assessment to outline measures to reduce the cost of education.
This year the report has been expanded to include options on cost reduction across Further & Higher Education, Research and Apprenticeships.
The paper sets out the various options available to Government to consider in advance of the Budget.
Speaking about the publication, Minister Harris said, “the Government is committed to reducing the cost of education for families and students. This paper sets out a number of options to consider in advance of this year’s Budget. We are publishing the paper to have a discussion on the most effective way to drive down costs for students and their families. Decisions will be made at the Budget but it is important to see all of the levers available.”
The report can be found at Funding the Future – An annual options paper on the cost of higher education .
It follows a meeting of stakeholders earlier this year where over 100 representatives from the student population, access officers and student services employees gathered to consider the most effective way to reduce education costs.
The event served as an opportunity to hear the learner’s voice, and from those who advocate for underrepresented groups.
Significant feedback was provided and this assisted in the preparation of this report which sets out various possible measures to address the cost of education across each of the sectors.
The options contained in this paper are intended to identify the cost of different measures, such as the costs associated with:
- Reducing the student contribution.
- Increasing the number of students in receipt of a student grant.
- Increasing the rates of student grant.
- Other measures that will reduce the financial burden of going to college on families and students.
