IPPN

Three university presidents yesterday stepped up their campaign for the early return of tuition fees.

And one warned that unless fees for all were reintroduced, Irish universities would face a "disaster" within two years.

The warning from the presidents of Trinity College, Dublin City University and University College Cork came as some colleges sank deeper into debt amid fears of further cuts before the end of the year. The president of University College Cork, Dr Michael Murphy, said everyone was on the frontline, with neither students nor academic staff immune to cutbacks.

"I have not seen anything like it," he said. "There are no rules for coping with this financial situation. In November we estimated a shortfall of €11.5m.

"Then it was €12m and now the bursar has told me we are a further €4m down."

The UCC president was adamant that fees would have to be brought back to cope with the crisis.

So too was Dublin City University president Prof Ferdinand von Prondzynksi, who said he was opposed to the idea of having fees only for those above a certain financial threshold.

Income

He said the figure of €100,000 had been mentioned but questioned why a student whose family income was €101,000 should pay fees while one whose family earned €99,000 should be exempt.

In his view everybody should pay fees and the universities should be charged with ensuring that those qualified students who were accepted, but who could not pay, would be accommodated and that certain percentages of various socio-economic income groups be represented in college.

The DCU president said universities had lost 30pc of their income per student in real terms. At present trends a further 12pc would be lost over the next two years. But if further cuts were imposed, this could rise to 30pc which would be disastrous for the universities. The universities were able to "cushion" some of the worst impacts by attracting international students who paid fees.

But overseas students would be reluctant to come to universities where the infrastructure was falling into disrepair.

Prof von Prondzynksi was speaking at debate in Trinity College Dublin.

Labour education spokesperson Ruairi Quinn and Union of Students in Ireland education officer Bartley Rock came out strongly against the return of fees, arguing that the country had benefited from the abolition more than a decade ago.

- John Walshe Education Editor