There’s still time for FF and FG to do right by students
There’s still time for FF and FG to do right by students - The Labour Party
Labour’s spokesperson on Further and Higher Education Senator Laura Harmon has urged Government to do the right thing and prevent any increases to student fees in tomorrow’s Budget.
Speaking today, Senator Harmon said:
“The cheek of this Government to pretend that they are decreasing fees by €500 is a slap in the face to so many students and families across the country. When he was the Minister in situ, now Tanaiste Simon Harris had the opportunity to put the €1,000 decrease in student fees on a permanent fees. He still has time to make the right decision for families across the country.
“The Programme for Government made a clear commitment to reduce and abolish fees and an additional €500 a year is simply a bridge too far for students and their families.
“The reality is that 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.
“Fees should not be rising, they should go. Full and equal access to higher education should become a reality in Ireland. Recent days have reminded us whose side Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are really on. Politics is about choices. Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are choosing to let down a generation of students and their families. I implore with this Government to make the right decision, and to carry out the clear promise made in the Programme for Government, to reduce and abolish student fees.”