EMPLOYER CONTRIBUTION NEEDED TO FUND HIGHER EDUCATION
Labour Youth has today launched its higher education funding policy Education for the Next Generation. This policy paper calls for increased state investment and a significant contribution from employers into higher education
Speaking at the launch, Labour Youth Chairperson, Kevin Donoghue said:
“When it comes to higher education we need to be ambitious about a publicly-funded system. Education is a public good and should be treated as such.
“Government focus on higher education funding has been short term in the past. Now as we look towards funding for a new generation, we should seek to be aspirational about our objectives.
“In Labour Youth, we are clear on our views of publicly funded education. A deferred payment scheme, which is an option proposed in the Cassells’ Report, would be disastrous for students in Ireland.
“While we welcome the idea of an employer’s contribution to higher education in the Cassells’ Report, we don’t think it goes far enough. We recommend that there be a significant increase to the amount of funding contributed by employers. Businesses benefit significantly from a highly educated workforce and their contribution to higher education should reflect that.
“Labour in Government took an ambitious step in the 90’s in introducing publicly funded third level education. We need to be brave again and be ambitious for the next generation.”