“Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if it will be ensured that college registration fees are reduced in line with the reduction in face-to-face contact with students by lecturers and blended learning; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 1 October]
“NUI Galway Students’ Union has joined USI and NUS-USI in the launch of the Education for All campaign which is calling for immediate action on Higher Education funding. The organisation that represents 374,000 students across the island of Ireland has written an open letter to Minister Simon Harris asking him to take action on a number of key areas …” (more)
[Michael Malone, Galway Daily, 21 September]
“Students across the island of Ireland have today kicked-off a series of actions aimed at urging their TDs to sign a pledge committing to six actions as part of the Union of Students in Ireland’s new Education for All campaign. The USI, which represents 374,000 students in Ireland, has written to the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris calling on him to take action on the key issues that prevent many from accessing third level education …” (more)
[USI, 21 September]
“Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to abolish third level registration fees in view of the fact that many students will not be attending lectures as normal, will have extra IT costs due to online learning and will find it more difficult to find work; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)
[Dáil debates, 9 September]
“Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will elaborate on his recent statement that student contribution fees are too high; and the timeline for the reduction of these fees …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 9 September]
“Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost in 2020 if the student contribution charge was reduced by €100, €200, €500, €1000 and €3000, respectively …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 8 September]
“Last week it was confirmed that third-level institutions will be permitted to charge students full registration fees for the coming year despite widespread restrictions on on-campus learning and facilities. The decision by University College Dublin (UCD) to charge students €3,000 or more for ‘blended learning’ has provoked criticism from UCD Student’s Union (UCDSU) President and Welfare Officer …” (more)
[Gemma Farrell, College Tribune, 10 September]
“Student unions across Ireland have expressed their outrage as universities and colleges intend to keep registration fees high despite the impact of COVID-19 on third level education …” (more)
[Ali Condon, Extra.ie, 6 September]
“Third-level students are one of the many groups within society who have been forced to make compromises in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. Yes, our social lives have been significantly curtailed. But even more costly than that has been the loss of months of in-person teaching – with no clear path to its return …” (more)
[Eimear Finan, University Times, 1 September]
“Student registration fees are ‘too high’ and will be looked at over the lifetime of the Government, Higher Education Minister Simon Harris said. As students prepare for the college year, he insisted the Susi grant system will be flexible to ‘take on board if a family’s income has changed due to Covid-19’ …” (more)
[Catherine Devine, Independent, 1 September]
“The president of the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has criticised the government for giving colleges the freedom to charge students with registration fees of up to €3,000. Minister for Education Norma Foley came under fire yesterday for saying that colleges would be allowed to charge full fees for this year if they wished to, regardless of how much time students spend on campus …” (more)
[Cormac Watson, University Times, 31 August]
“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]
“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]
“Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the supports that have been put in place to help students returning to third-level education who are uncertain as to the way in which they will pay fees, especially in cases in which part-time income has been affected by Covid-19 …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 30 July]
“Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the cost of reducing the student contribution charge for higher education by €100, €200, €500, €1,000 and €3,000, respectively; and if she will make a statement on the matter …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 28 July]
“A €500 reduction must be made to the Student Contribution Charge immediately to ease some of the financial pressure caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Union of Students in Ireland. Government must also support students who will be expected to work remotely for much of the new academic year by creating and investing in a new scheme that provides access to devices and better WiFi …” (more)
[USI, 21 July]
“The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has called for ‘an immediate reduction’ of the student contribution charge by €500, as well as the elimination of the residency criteria on the free fees initiative. Today, USI has published a document that it presented to Minister for Higher Education, Innovation and Science Simon Harris, outlining the union’s ‘priorities for the new government’ and what students need in light of the pandemic …” (more)
[Shannon Connolly, Trinity News, 8 July]
“A deal for a Government programme has been finalised by Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and The Green Party, with Micheál Martin set to take on the role of An Taoiseach before it is rotated to Leo Varadkar in 2022. The programme for government includes the abolishment of the Direct Provision system and changes in governance for the Higher Education sector …” (more)
[Mahnoor Choudhry, College Tribune, 15 June]
