Political reaction: The main opposition parties have rejected the call by OECD for the reintroduction of fees in third-level colleges.
Fine Gael, Labour and the Greens each said a report on the Irish education system by the OECD could not be used to justify a return to fees.
The Fine Gael education spokeswoman, Ms Olwyn Enright, said she was "deeply concerned" that the Government would use the report to defend the reintroduction of fees.
She accused the Minister for Education, Mr Dempsey, of using the debate on fees to take the focus away from "his underfunding" of the education system.
"If the Government reintroduced third-level fees, they would then use this as a reason to cut their contribution to the higher-education sector.
"This possibility has been recognised by the OECD, who have called upon the Government to make a clear statement that any income generated by the third-level institutions from sources outside the State should not be offset against State funding," she said.
The Labour spokeswoman, Ms Jan O'Sullivan, said she "strongly disputed" the OECD's finding that the abolition of fees has had no impact on widening access to third-level education.
"There is no evidence from any other country that if you introduce fees, you achieve a widening of access to third level. In fact, social inequality is greatest in countries which have third-level fees."
Ms O'Sullivan said the case being made for fees is that Ireland needs to channel more private money into third-level education. However, she said the report showed that Ireland was already above France and Germany in terms of private spending in this area as a percentage of gross domestic product.
"We already have a two-tier health system in this country - do we now want a two-tier education system? If the OECD recommendation on fees was implemented, this is what would be achieved."
The Green Party education spokesman, Mr Paul Gogarty, said that a clear shortfall in funding had been identified which needs to be examined.
"Repeating the 'no fees' mantra while hiding under the cloak of opposition conformity is simply not enough. We have to be more creative in presenting an alternative vision of tertiary education funding."
