Students in Limerick brought traffic to a standstill when they protested against increased registration fees, inadequate grants for students, and recent cutbacks in third-level funding, writes Kathryn Hayes..
More than 1,000 students from Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) and Limerick School of Art and Design marched through the city centre to City Hall yesterday as part of a national campaign led by the Union of Students in Ireland. Two days ago, students in Dublin took their protest to Fianna Fáil's headquarters, which they occupied for more than an hour.
Protests have also been staged in Cork and Waterford, with another march planned in Dundalk for next week.
USI's deputy president and campaigns officer, Mr Rory Hearne, said students were calling for the abolition of the college registration fee, which he described as "back-door fees".
"The college registration fee is now €750 - an increase of 80 per cent - which is essentially the Government introducing back-door fees," he said.
"Bertie may have reshuffled his pack, but USI and the students of Ireland have not been fooled. Replacing an unpopular Education Minister will not deter us from the goals set out at the beginning of the year - the abolition of the registration fee, the raising of the grant to social welfare levels and extending its availability to thousands of more students, and the reversal of the stinging cuts that third-level institutions have been forced to deal with over the last year."
The maximum student grant is €70 a week. It is estimated that fewer than a quarter of students receive some form of grant.
Ms Jo Anne McCarthy, vice-president of the students' union at Limerick School of Art and Design, said there was an extra financial burden on art students who had to pay €63 extra for materials.
"This is exorbitant, and in no way is the maintenance grant reflective of the increase in registration fees. For example, if a student receives the full maintenance grant and lives within 15 miles of their college, they will receive a pitiful €20 per week approximately."
She compared this to the minimum of €40 which art students spend weekly on materials, photocopying and equipment.