“I was really pleased to see how high Dublin 15 scored in the distribution of third level education places in the tables published this week by the Higher Education Authority” Labour TD Joan Burton said this week.

“It’s quite dramatic really. At first we had quite a low score but all this has changed in the past 10 years. Dublin 15 teenagers go to college and university at the same percentage as the national average, a huge improvement on the case 10 years ago.”

Framly this is due to the success of the free fees policy that Labour brought in in 1995. The policy has many critics in the media but they cannot deny one simple fact. The statistics prove that the policy is working. A decade ago children from many working class families could not go to college. Today over 50% do go. The free fees scheme makes it possible and families now realise that college can make a big difference to the long term employment and prosperity chances of their children.

I want to make one suggestion to those who criticise free third level education. Just examine the figures in this weeks report for Dublin 15 and similar areas. Compare what is now happening with what was the case 10 or 20 years ago. We have along way to go to achieve a fully just and fair education system. But free fees did make a difference to many families. Don’t knock it. Build on it.