Barra Roantree – College Affairs Correspondent
The long-awaited report of the National Strategy Group on Higher Education, known as the Hunt Report after its main author Dr. Colin Hunt, has been published by the government and seems certain to reignite the debate over third level fees.
Despite being submitted to the Cabinet for approval in August, the report was only officially released on 14th January. While there are few surprises contained in the report, which has been subject to persistent leaks since it was submitted, the official publication will force political parties to take an explicit position on the funding of Higher Education.
Recommendations that will be universally welcomed are those relating to barriers facing students from non-traditionary entry routes. Such students, including thousands of part-time students, are currently ineligible for local authority grants. The report calls for parity of treatment for students entering higher education through either traditional or non-traditional routes.
In a blow to Waterford IT’s ambitions to gain full University status, the Strategy Group recommends a “process of evolution and consolidation” for the institute of technology sector. After amalgamating with other institutions, ITs could be eligible to apply for “designation as a technological” university rather than a fully fledged university.
The recommendation that will be of most interest to prospective students however is the call for a “ reform of student financing, including a new form of direct student contribution based on an upfront fee with a deferred payment facility.” The report bases its recommendation on what it perceives as an inability of the higher education system to sustain growth in numbers while maintaining the quality of courses, as well as higher average private earnings for those who complete higher education. The group “did not consider the technical details of how any [loan] scheme might work”, deferring such a decision to an “expert group with international representation”.
Other recommendations relating to financing are reforms of the recurrent grant allocation model through which institutions receive most of their public funding; reforms for means testing of maintenance grants; and discounted fees for courses in areas of identified skills shortages.
On research matters, the Group recommend that “funding should be based on national priority-setting exercises” identifying “a number of thematic areas in which Ireland can excel, make its mark internationally and maximise economic and social return”.
The report is lacking in the kind of detail and evidence the UK’s recent Browne Review on Higher Education contained, deferring many decisions to expert groups or state agencies. That will not stop the document acting as the reference point for proposals to reform higher education over the coming years, of which we can be assured of many.
