5,000 students in anxious wait over North’s education decision

UP to 5,000 college students from the Republic are nervously awaiting a decision tomorrow which will determine whether they will be able to continue their education in the North.

Students from Border counties have been faced with the prospect of paying €2,000 for some Northern Ireland college courses. However, they may now be in line for good news tomorrow, an SDLP politician suggested yesterday.

Following policy changes in the North’s Department of Employment and Learning, it was recently announced student fees in further education colleges would only be paid in respect of students living in the jurisdiction.

The decision followed a €13 million cut to the department’s budget and left around 5,000 students from the Republic with an uncertain future about completing their courses.

But East Derry SDLP assembly member John Dallat said he has received an assurance that progress on the issue has been made.

“I believe that the announcement on Thursday will favour students from the Republic. Hopefully, it will lead to a more liberal approach to how students are dealt with on both sides of the Border,” he said.

Discussions have been taking place between the Department of Employment in Belfast and the Department of Foreign Affairs here in recent weeks, but a resolution is uncertain.

The Union of Students in Ireland (USI), which has campaigned for reversal of the residency policy, yesterday said: “Students may wish to consider courses available in the North, Britain or elsewhere in the EU and a further option may be to study at one of Ireland’s private colleges or to undertake a PLC course,” said USI education officer Bernadette Farrell.