THE UNION of Students in Ireland (USI) has called on the Government to clarify its intentions in relation to increases to registration fees or the reintroduction of student fees.
The union took out advertisements in every national newspaper yesterday giving the telephone numbers of every Government TD.
The advertisement called Government TDs “liars”, claiming that both Fine Gael and Labour made a commitment before this year’s general election not to increase registration fees or cut college grants.
USI president Gary Redmond said the union had contacted every Government TD because it wanted them to stand over pre-election promises.
“Not one single Government TD was willing to indicate they would do so,” he said. “Therefore, the USI are again now calling on the Government to publicly commit to keeping their promises.”
Mr Redmond said that before the general election, the Labour Party signed a pledge written by the USI that, if elected to Government, it would not countenance any increase of college fees or cuts in student grants.
In addition, Fine Gael pledged that it would not increase the student contribution further and rather would seek savings under the Croke Park agreement.
“At a time when employment prospects are bleak, the Government needs to increase access to education to enable young people to gain the skills necessary to build a better life for themselves and to contribute to the recovery of Ireland’s economy,” he said.
