Sir, – Would it be a wild fantasy to guess that people suggesting that young students be saddled with a 15-year debt for college fees have already achieved their own degrees? Unless all employed graduates who are alive are also retrospectively charged for their degree, such a suggestion is no more than an exercise in reverse ageism. – Yours, etc,
EUGENE TANNAM,
Firhouse,
Dublin 24.
A chara, – The logic behind the proposed introduction of student-financed loans to finance third-level education is plainly absurd. Your editorial (“Time to grasp the funding nettle when it comes to Irish third level education”, December 15th) cites the poor performance of universities in recent years as the central reason for the new funding structure.
This poor performance is clearly due to the severe cutbacks in government support for these institutions in recent austerity budgets.
The response of this Government and your newspaper? Less State funding. Riddle me that. – Is mise,
DAVID FOX,
Knocklyon,
Dublin 16.
Sir, – Prof Thomas G Cotter objects to a loan scheme (December 15th). If, as in Australia and other countries, there were an income floor below which no loan repayments were due, the suggested rate should be perfectly manageable and would certainly not be due on any postgraduate study grant. It could even become an incentive to business start-ups if the repayments could be treated as a legitimate expense of the business, on the presumption that the qualification was relevant to the business, of course. – Yours, etc,
PATRICK DAVEY,
Shankill,
Dublin 18.