Student fee increases disgraceful
Student fee increases disgraceful - The Labour Party
Labour’s spokesperson on Further and Higher Education Laura Harmon has urged Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil to see sense and prevent any increases to student fees in Budget 2026.
As the Oireachtas returns today, Senator Harmon said families are already facing many financial pressures and any increase to fees will be a barrier to people starting or continuing their education.
Senator Harmon said:
“The cost of living has become unmanageable for people across society under Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil’s watch. Families are under pressure from groceries, to sending children back to school, to trying to pay rent or a mortgage. The latest move from the Department of Further and Higher Education floating an increase in student fees by €500 in Budget 2026 is simply a step too far and will push so many families to breaking point.
“Today, Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn will tell the Oireachtas Committee on Further and Higher Education that students are facing a critical shortage in publicly-funded, purpose-built student accommodation. With average rents in Ireland now at a jaw dropping €2,055 per month, this Government has failed in it’s supposed goal of delivering fair and equal access to further and higher education, as per the Programme for Government.
“While the accommodation crisis continues, the very fact that this Government would even consider increasing fees beggars belief.
“Any increase in student fees will be unacceptable to the Labour Party. Fees should not be rising, they should go. Full and equal access to higher education should become a reality in Ireland. Ireland proudly has a high participation rate in higher education, and this plays an enormous role in our economic development.
“Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are caught in a cycle of short-termism but it’s going to have long-term consequences for our young people.
“The €1.8 billion surplus in the National Training Fund could be and should be used to protect affordable access to third-level education. The funding is there, the need is clear, and the case could not be stronger. We cannot allow short-term political games to undermine the future of students. Investment in affordable education is an investment in our future.”