“The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science has said he is committed to working to reduce third level fees. Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne, Simon Harris said the registration fee for students is ‘too high’ and he would like to see fees addressed during his tenure as minister …” (more)
[RTÉ News, 31 August]
“Sinn Féin spokesperson on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Rose Conway-Walsh TD, has challenged the Government for expecting students and their families to pay full fees for partial access to campus and facilities. Responding to statements made by the Minister for Education that third-level colleges will be able to charge the full €3,000 in fees to students even if campus access is severely restricted, Teachta Conway-Walsh said …” (more)
[Sinn Féin, 31 August]
“The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has called for an immediate €500 reduction of student college fees with many classes set to take place remotely. It comes as yesterday Education Minister Norma Foley said third-level colleges will be able to charge their students the full €3,000 in contribution fees, even if they severely restrict access to campus and force them to stay at home …” (more)
[BreakingNews.ie, 31 August]
“Queen’s University Belfast has confirmed it plans to hold face-to-face lectures for new students in September, after calls from unions to scrap normal teaching until Christmas due to Covid-19. The University and College Union (UCU), which represents university and college staff throughout the UK, made the comments at the weekend as they warned that a return to normal face-to-face teaching could be a ‘recipe for disaster’ as the pandemic moves into the autumn months …” (more)
[Christopher Leebody, Belfast Telegraph, 31 August]
“Students should be refunded for accommodation if another Covid-19 lockdown forces the closure of colleges, Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris has said …” (more)
[Dominic McGrath, TheJournal.ie, 31 August]
“Waterford Institute of Technology has told students and staff that all lectures, tutorials and practical classes will be delivered off-campus throughout the coming academic year. Third-level colleges throughout the county are expected to finalise timetable details once offers are made to incoming first-year students following next week’s Leaving Cert calculated grades …” (more)
[Conor Kane, RTÉ News, 31 August]
“The Cork Sexual Violence Centre received 3,469 calls and texts to its helpline in 2019 with 37% of all new clients indicating that they were third level students. The annual report for the centre reveals that more than 60% of new clients last year were under the age of 29. 75% of new clients were 23 or younger at the time of the sexual assault …” (more)
[Olivia Kelleher, Irish Times, 31 August]
“Leaving Cert students are set to receive fresh details this week over how the calculated grades process has been adjusted to try to make results as fair and accurate as possible. The Department of Education is expected to this week release technical details of how the calculated grades system has been completed and refined in light of expert advice and controversy in the United Kingdom …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 31 August]
“When it comes to systemic racism in third-level institutions, it’s safe to say that toppled statues, extended reading lists and tokenistic faculty positions fail to address structural issues in any long-lasting way …” (more)
[Gillian O’Neill, University Times, 28 August]
“Third-level colleges will be able to charge the full €3,000 in fees to their students even if they severely restrict access to campus and force them to stay at home, Education Minister Norma Foley has said …” (more)
[Daniel McConnell, Irish Examiner, 30 August]
