Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank my old friend, Mr. Hannigan, for bringing that to my attention. It is important to make clear that it is not a question of one possible model or no model at all. Professor Cusack was invited by Professor Cunnane to address this as well but I had run out of time. If Professor Cusack has some thoughts on this, I would like to hear them. In response what Mr. Hannigan said, I would have thought it was possible to tailor a system so that lower-paid graduates in areas such as nursing are not penalised. One can imagine a system where repayment comes into play once certain income levels are reached and that the rate depends on the income level a person has attained. The glaring problem in our country is probably not so much that people will be unable to pay back student loans but that graduates will not be able to afford houses. That is a significant question but it does not take away from the merits of considering the question of student loans in a suitably tailored form. I am not doctrinaire on this point. I am interested in a free-flowing debate on the issue. Perhaps Professor Cusack might have something to say.

On the issue relating to STEM that I raised when I asked about quality and whether our education system is in some way lacking, I note what Dr. Mulcahy had to say. Do people have a view on whether aptitude tests at an early stage of the second level experience are a good indicator of people's capacity? The witnesses are already telling me with their heads.