Ireland's student union criticizes Government for raising university fees

Ireland's student union body has described the Government’s decision to have students pay an extra €1,000 in fees this year as a \"calculated betrayal\". Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éireann (AMLÉ) also said that the \"U-turn\" on fee reductions was \"a clear breach of commitments\" made in the Programme for Government.

Minister for Further and Higher Education James Lawless said yesterday that undergraduates would have to pay more compared to last year because the reduction was a part of a cost of living package which included other supports. Fees will have to be reset, as will energy, Mr Lawless said, and this means fees will revert to the same level they have been at for the last several years. \"All of us in any walk of life have to play the hands we're dealt,\" he added.

AMLÉ President Bryan O’Mahony said the timing of the Government’s announcement was \"disgraceful\" and was intended to \"dodge accountability\" from outgoing and incoming student representatives. The Social Democrats said that Ireland is now one of the most expensive countries in Europe to be a student in. The party's further and higher education spokesperson Jen Cummins warned that the increase in fees \"will make a college education more inaccessible\".

However, AMLÉ claimed the move will place Ireland among the most expensive countries in Europe for third-level education. Sinn Féin called the Government’s decision a \"scandalous slap in the face\". Mr Lawless said he has spoken to Minister for Housing James Browne to see how student specific accommodation can be carved out from newly-implemented Rent Pressure Zone rules.

According to the source: RTE.ie.