Higher Education Funding and Access in International Perspective by Riddell Sheila;Minty Sarah;Wheedon Elisabet;Whittaker Susan;

Author:Riddell, Sheila;Minty, Sarah;Wheedon, Elisabet;Whittaker, Susan;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Emerald Publishing Limited
Published: 2018-04-21T00:00:00+00:00

CURRENT POLICY DEBATES: A CRISIS IN FUNDING?

The chapter so far has indicated that equity of access to HE has been of long-standing policy concern in Ireland. The period since the recession has, however, seen an increasing focus on the issue of HE funding, with debate around a ‘crisis’ in funding levels. There has been a significant shift in the composition of HEI funding since the start of the recession, with state grants making up a much smaller proportion of core funding by 2016 and an increasing reliance on the student contribution and on other fees (including postgraduate and international student fees). A slight reduction in the overall levels of funding conceals the simultaneous impact of a continued increase in student numbers. The overall effect was to decrease total income per HE student by 22% over the period 2007–2014 with a resulting increase in student–staff ratios (Expert Group on Future Funding for Higher Education, 2016). HEIs were very vocal about the resulting ‘crisis in funding’ and this prompted the establishment of the Expert Group on Future Funding for Higher Education in summer 2014. The group reported in 2016 (the so-called Cassells Report) and focused on three sets of recommendations: increased investment in HE, especially in a context where demographic projections suggested an increase in the numbers of secondary school leavers (by 27%) up to 2029; enhanced levels of student financial support, which would cover postgraduate and part-time students as well as undergraduate students, alongside the introduction of a capital asset test for employer and self-employed groups; and some contribution from employers, for example, through an education/training levy.

In terms of HE funding, three options for the future were posited:

A fully state-funded system, which would be free at the point of entry (at undergraduate and postgraduate level) and would require increased block grants to HEIs.

An increase in state funding through the block grants but a retention of the undergraduate student contribution and postgraduate tuition fees.

Increased state funding plus the introduction of income-contingent loans (ICLs) for students to cover tuition fees.

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