USI call for student supports to be maintained in Budget 2015

The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has called for student support levels to be maintained in its pre-budget submission and education policy for the coming year.

The protection of the Back to Education allowance, as well as the protection of the student maintenance grant, are among the measures contained in the pre-budget submission and education policy outlined yesterday.

"The level of the grant as it stands gives opportunity to the least well-off candidates in the country to attend third-level education and develop skills for life," said USI president Laura Harmon. "Cutting the grant or shifting the thresholds downwards would certainly price even more students out of education."

Ms Harmon said the cost of sending a student to college tops €13,000 a year, according to a study by Bank of Ireland, while the average grant comes to €3,025. "That's despite rent increases of 17.2 per cent in Dublin and 10 per cent across the country," she said.

“Access to higher-level education is under threat at the moment because of the financial hardship that students are experiencing . The levels of the maintenance will need to be looked at because of inflation and rising costs in rent as it hasn’t been increased in several years.”

The USI highlighted the student accommodation crisis and plans to meet Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly and Minister for Education Jan O'Sullivan about the issue.

Daniel Waugh (22) from Cork, who is starting a masters in Dublin, said he has had “sleepless nights” about trying to find accommodation.

“You see a place on Daft in the morning, but then it’s gone within an hour. I’m working in Cork at the moment so it’s frustrating when you have to travel up and then find out that the place has already gone.

“I’ll have to crash with a friend for the time being, but it’s proving very difficult to find somewhere that is suitable and affordable.”

Student housing shortage

The USI has approached the Private Residential Tenancy Board about the impact of the student housing shortage and will present the findings to the Government.

Ms Harmon said the USI was opposed to any deferred payment scheme, student loans or graduate tax systems for student fees.

In July the president of UCD, Prof Andrew Deeks, said the student registration charge, which is set to hit €3,000 next year, has become a "barrier to higher education" and should be replaced with a student loan scheme.

An expert group to examine funding models for the third-level sector that was set up in July was one of the final acts of former minister for education Ruairí Quinn’s term of office.

Ms Harmon said: “The USI’s position is that third-level education should be free because it benefits society as a whole. We believe that if Ireland is to see itself out of this recession, having highly-skilled graduates being able to live and work here is the way forward.”

The USI will hold a national rally for education in Dublin on October 8th.