“We spoke to Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD, Minister of State at the Department of Education with special responsibility for Higher Education. Keelin Shanley began by asking her how concerned she is about where all of those students are going to live” (audio).
[RTÉ – News at One, 22 August]
“Rising back-to-college costs mean a growing number of students are being forced to drop out of third-level education, according to students’ unions. The cost of student fees, accommodation, course books, equipment and transport mean some students will be unable to continue their degrees this September …” (more)
[Jack Power, Irish Times, 8 August]
“Ulster University (UU) is to offer discounts on tuition fees to students from England, Scotland and Wales. Students beginning in 2017/18 will be offered a £2,000 discount on fees or a £1,000 discount plus money towards travel and accommodation costs …” (more)
[Robbie Meredith, BBC News, 1 August]
“Nearly a year to the day after the publication of a landmark report on Irish higher education funding, Labour Party senators will bring a motion to the Seanad tomorrow calling on the government to oppose a loan scheme for third-level students …” (more)
[Dominic McGrath, University Times, 11 July]
“The students’ unions at Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology and NUI Galway are calling on senators to support a Labour party motion rejecting the implementation of a student loan scheme …” (more)
[Connacht Tribune, 11 July]
“Tomorrow, the Seanad will debate a private members’ motion on third-level funding put forward by the Labour Party. Our motion, which I am proud to be proposing along with my colleagues, will call on the government to affirm its commitment to providing equality of access to education …” (more)
[Ivana Bacik, University Times, 11 July]
“The Government will leave the door open to the introduction of a student loan scheme on Wednesday when it opposes a motion to abolish student registration fees for third-level education. The Labour Party is due to table a private member’s motion in the Seanad rejecting any move to implement an income-contingent loan scheme and calling for a fully publicly-funded scheme …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 12 July]
“Ok, I said I wouldn’t write over the summer unless someone of importance said something titanically stupid. Andrew Adonis, architect of former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair’s education policies crossed that line on Friday with a – yes – titanically stupid column about tuition fees, so here I am …” (more)
[Alex Usher, HESA, 10 July]
“Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will reduce the student contribution charge in third level education; his views on an organisation’s (details supplied) call for the charge to be reduced by a minimum of €250; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 29 June]
“Jan O’Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the possible affect of Brexit on fees and access to higher education for Irish students who attend British universities and colleges; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 28 June]
“Almost 60% of Irish expat parents in Asia are not interested in sending their children to attend university in Ireland as they do not feel Irish higher education institutions offer value for money, a new survey has shown. Britain and the US are the top destinations of choice …” (more)
[Clifford Coonan, Irish Times, 14 June]
“Students from the Republic are facing potential massive university fee increases after the UK withdraws from the EU. The head of Queen’s University Belfast said EU undergraduates could be charged pricier international tuition fees post-Brexit …” (more)
[Simon Doyle, Irish News, 29 May]
“Universities are earning millions of euro in exam ‘resit fees’ charged to students who fail to make the grade first time round. As exam season gets under way, new figures reveal third level colleges enjoy a huge annual cash boost from a range of ‘fees’ …” (more)
[Mark O’Regan, Independent, 21 May]
“Sir, – John Thompson (May 16th) proposes a system of financial incentives for students to study third-level courses in areas where there is a skills shortage. Such incentives would encourage students to choose a course based on affordability, instead of their interest in the subject or their aptitude for it …” (more)
[Jonathan Dukes, Irish Times, 17 May]
“Sir, – It always amazes me that when considering third-level fees, no consideration is ever given to the notion of altering fees based on the courses of education studied. We have a huge shortage of qualified applicants for intellectually and financially rewarding careers in information technology (IT), for example, and yet the same fees system is applied to IT courses as to any other area of study …” (more)
[John Thompson, Irish Times, 16 May]
“University heads have sent a strongly worded letter to two senior academics attacking as ‘flawed’ a paper they have written setting out a case against a student loan scheme.The letter from the Irish Universities Association (IUA) questions the ‘methodology and approach’ of Dr Charles Larkin, Trinity College Dublin, and Dr Shaen Corbet, Dublin City University …” (more)
[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 4 May]
“Students from Northern Ireland who attend universities in the Republic may face fees of tens of thousands of euro following Brexit. There is currently a capped charge of €3,000 (£2,500) at Irish universities for EU students. However, when Northern Ireland leaves the EU along with the rest of the UK …” (more)
[Rebecca Black, Belfast Telegraph, 4 May]
“Northern Irish students should not have to pay more to attend universities in the Republic after Brexit, an Irish opposition politician has argued. There should be a guarantee that students from NI will not have to pay non-EU fees when the UK leaves the EU, said Fianna Fáil’s Thomas Byrne …” (more)
[Robbie Meredith, BBC News, 3 May]
“Recently I read an article by Owen Ross in The Irish Times entitled ‘We should cut college fees for courses linked to skills shortages’. Ross, who is is Head of Department of Business and Management at Athlone Institute of Technology, speaks a lot of sense when he writes that there should be financial ‘incentives for school leavers to undertake designated programmes’…” (more)
[Careful With That Axe, Eugene, 4 April]
“The feasibility of a student loan scheme where funds would be repaid by graduates after they reach a certain income level has been dismissed in research commissioned by the State’s institutes of technology. The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education is examining new proposals to fund the higher education system, which is in crisis following years of funding cuts and rising student numbers …” (more)
[Colin Gleeson, Irish Times, 3 April]
