Mayo Fine Gael TD and member of the Oireachtas committee on education, John O'Mahony, is calling on the Minister for Education to respond to the evidence that was given to the Dáil education committee where the seven university presidents admitted that student registration fees were fees by the backdoor.
“Minister Batt O’Keeffe cannot run away from this. He has allowed student registration fees to jump from €900 to €1,500 per annum. It’s clear from evidence that the universities simply add in student services to justify the registration fee,” Deputy O’Mahony said.
“The role of the Higher Education Authority in all of this is also a matter of concern. They effectively should be the consumer watchdog for students and their families. They have neither the power nor the inclination to stop universities ‘doctoring their books’ to justify the student registration fee,” he added.
Dep O’Mahony said the Universities Act needs to be amended to give a much clearer view on what is a fee and what is not a fee. “We need a new funding system for higher education as proposed by Fine Gael. We need accountability so that this collusion between the universities, the HEA and, principally, the Minister for Education is brought to an end.
“Batt O’Keeffe also has serious questions to answer regarding the fact that he never formally or informally requested that the seven university heads take a pay cut. For over 10 months the Minister has attempted to appear tough by saying he wants the seven university heads to cut their pay. However, under questioning, all seven, along with the HEA declared that no formal or informal communication was made by the Minister to any body or individual calling for this. The Minister’s claim that he was sure the HEA was aware of his views and passed them on has been exposed as false as has his ‘spin operation’.”
