LIMERICK City and County Council has been urged to write to the Further and Higher Education Minister James Lawless condemning any future attempt to reinstate a €3,000 college contribution fee for students, given the increased financial burden this will place on them and their families.
Social Democrats councillor Shane Hickey-O’Mara suggested the phrase “no country for young people” is being used more and more in Ireland.
“It’s increasingly easy to understand why,” he hit out.
“As we are all now aware, despite the government’s promise to continue to reduce the student contribution fee, as laid out in the Programme for Government, the Minister has instead floated the idea of raising the fee by €1,000, bringing it back up to €3,000,” Cllr Hickey-O’Mara commented.
“While we’ve been told that this is still being negotiated in the run up to the Budget, Trinity College, for example, has already sent out invoices for this amount,” he claimed.
The City North representative considers it crucial the Council outlines its position so the Government knows it won’t support “punching down” on students.
“There are over 30,000 students in Limerick, just under a third of the city’s population. On top of this, thousands more Limerick City residents have family members attending colleges across the country. This decision, if followed through by the Minister, will have a detrimental effect on thousands of people who are already in the midst of a cost of living crisis,” he said.
“This unexpected jump in fees will put thousands of people under increased financial pressure.”
