The new Provost of Trinity College has called on the Government to release some of the constraints on higher education in Ireland to allow the sector to compete on the world stage and create jobs.
Delivering his inaugural address this afternoon, Dr Patrick Prendergast warned that Trinity could not compete for Ireland on the world stage with its hands tied behind its back.
He urged the Government to allow universities the freedom to deploy their resources to best effect.
Referring to the impact of the embargo on jobs in the public sector, he said that universities had been twisted into a position where they were being forced to shed jobs rather than create them.
Dr Prendergast also called for a re-examination of the way higher education was funded. He said the introduction of fees was a "matter for the utmost consideration".
He said those who want a quality education should be allowed to pay for it if they could afford to do so.
The new Provost said Trinity College was currently working on a proposal about how private contributions could be increased.
He said the college was looking carefully at models in other countries, including Australia and China.
