Students will not be silenced – Govt cannot increase fees

Students will not be silenced - Govt cannot increase fees

Students will not be silenced - Govt cannot increase fees - The Labour Party

Following a protest against student fee increases coordinated by the Labour Party at Leinster House this evening, spokesperson on further and higher education Senator Laura Harmon said Government must listen to the students who shared their stories today.

Speaking after the protest attended by hundreds of students and members of the Opposition, Senator Harmon said:

"Students took to the streets tonight to show this Government that they will accept any increases in student fees. Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are constantly boasting about the calibre of our students, and yet they are not willing to support them when they need it most.

"The Programme for Government made a clear commitment to reduce and abolish fees, and at the first hurdle, they have failed. They did not even have the courtesy of attending the protest and listening to the stories of students this evening.

"An additional €1,000 a year is simply a bridge too far for students and their families. This is at a time when Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are sitting on a surplus of almost €1.8bn in the National Training Fund - money that could be used to make education more affordable.

"Politics is about choices. Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are choosing to let down a generation of students and their families. I implore with the Minister to reverse this decision, and to carry out the clear promise made in the Programme for Government, to reduce and abolish student fees."