Students call time on student contribution charge; call for a “genuinely student-friendly” budget
€254m cost of abolishing student contribution charge would be “worth every penny”
UCDSU says country needs to reaffirm commitment to higher education as a “public good”
Pre-budget submission also asks Government to consider funding education of students who do not fall under the ‘Free Fees’ Initiative
(Thursday 21 September 2023 - Dublin, Ireland) - UCD Students’ Union (UCDSU) this morning made a fresh plea to the Government to abolish the Student Contribution Charge once and for all.
The call came as part of the Union’s pre-budget submission, which cites the Department of Further and Higher Education’s costings. Abolishing the Student Contribution Charge in its entirety would come at a cost of €254.7 Million. UCDSU says that taking such a decision “would reflect the view that education is inherently a public good that provides untold benefits to Irish society, its people and the economy.” However, the submission states that this should not come at the expense of core funding to the sector.
The pre-budget submission covers three key areas, Higher Education, Student Accommodation, and the wider cost of living. While this is not an exhaustive list of areas that UCDSU would like to see action on, they represent what the Union considers to be the most pressing areas for students, as well as some meaningful steps that the Government could take in the immediate short term to ease the cost of living burden.
UCDSU President Martha Ní Riada said:
“Some take the view that abolishing fees altogether is only a hand out to well-off families. We think that this is misguided, reduces higher education to a transaction, and only focuses on the economic benefits to the recipient. In reality, there is so much more that is gained by providing people with access to education. It is time to act on behalf of the students who are in the system today and who will go on to pay that investment back in spades by contributing to Irish society in countless ways.”
On the totality of UCDSU’s submission, Ní Riada added:
“We are asking for a genuinely student-friendly budget to ease the burden on students and young people. Absent from the debate about rainy day funds, budget bonanzas and what Ireland should do with apparently ballooning corporate tax receipts has been an acknowledgement that the rainy day for students is today.”
In its submission, UCDSU also reiterated its calls for meaningful action to be taken in respect of the shortage in student beds, and for the Government to commit to setting a level of criteria for homeowners who fill a room with a student in order to claim up to €14,000 tax free under the ‘Rent-A-Room’ Relief Scheme.
The cost of living measures that UCDSU says can make a difference in the short term include the introduction of a Living Wage and addressing the "extortionate annual cost" of renewing the Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card to Ireland’s international student cohort.
The full UCDSU pre-budget submission can be read HERE.
