Students float ducks in Liffey over fees rise

A group of around 100 students protested in Dublin today against the 69 per cent rise in third-level registration fees from €396 to €670 that was recently announced by the Department of Education.

The students, representing third-level institutions from all over the State, gathered on the boardwalk beside O'Connell Bridge at lunchtime today.

Union of Students in Ireland (USI) president, Mr Colm Jordan, addressed the students from a dinghy on the river Liffey.

He was greeted with loud cheers as he released 69 yellow ducks into the water. Each duck represented 1 per cent of the 69 per cent increase in the student registration fee.

"The ducks symbolise students being sold down the river by the Government," a spokesman for the USI said.

The students then marched to the Department of Education and handed in a letter demanding a meeting with the Minister for Education and Science, Mr Noel Dempsey.

When he announced the increase on July 18th, Mr Dempsey said it was due to budget constraints and because of the increase in the costs of registration, examination and student services.

Mr Joe Costello, education spokesman for the Labour Party, said the rise is "totally unjustified and will create severe hardship for many students and their families."

Meanwhile, Fine Gael education spokeswoman Ms Olwyn Enright said the increase "ends free third-level education and is effectively a reintroduction of fees".