THIRD level students in Ireland are being treated as an underclass, delegates to the national congress of the Union of Students in Ireland were told yesterday, writes John Connolly.
In his outgoing presidential address Mr Colm Keaveney said students had been singled out for discriminatory treatment because they are considered weak.
"There is no other section of society which is forced to survive on less than £30 per week, £1,500 per year, with no access to the guarantee of social welfare which should exist for every citizen," said Mr Keaveney. He called for the return of social welfare rights for students.
Mr Keaveney said the abolition of student poverty, of disadvantage and elitism in the education system were among the greatest challenges facing USI.
"Many of our members live in accommodation which is barely habitable," he said. "Fifty per cent of our members have to supplement their grant by taking part time work. These students work mainly in low paid jobs in the black economy, working antisocial hours often to the detriment of their academic pursuits." He stressed the need for greater investment in grants, child care facilities and facilities for students with disabilities to improve access to third level education for all.
"This year we saw investment in education rise to an unprecedented level, but it still remains abysmally low," he said. "The quality of our education is suffering. Government must make investment in education a priority as an investment in this country's future."
The votes of over 100,000 students could not be ignored, he said.
Mr Keaveney also said that the student movement had a vital role to play in the peace process. "We must be prepared to compromise. We must be actively anti sectarian and we must be prepared to challenge sectarianism on our own campuses."