Future Irish students could be left with 15 YEARS of college loans

As well as abortion rights and marriage equality, one of the key issues that students in this country have regularly spoken up about over the last decade is the issue of rising tuition fees.

Although Ireland technically offers "free education," universities impose a registration fee at the start of any degree course which has risen steadily over the last ten years.

Students enrolling in Irish universities last year paid anything from €1,500 up to €8,000 or even €9,000 to cover their tuition, student contribution and other fees.

Now though, the government is reportedly considering overhauling how we pay for education in this country, and introducing a loan system down the line.

Under the proposed new system, education would be free "at the point of access," but students would be required to pay back the State in instalments once they began earning a sufficient amount after college.

However those who are earning below the minimum amount would pay back nothing until their income circumstances changed.

In one example given in today's Irish Times in relation to the confidential Funding Irish Higher Education draft report, a former student earning €26,000 a year would pay back around €25 a week for 15 years to cover his or her four-year degree.

Of course, there would be interest on each loan, though the report recommends applying a lower rate than banking institutions would.

Ireland would not be the first country to introduce such a system – it's already the norm in Australia, New Zealand, Ethiopia, England, Hungary, South Africa and South Korea.

What do you think – great idea or a total disaster?