Students angry at call for college fee hike
Dr Michael Murphy said the extra funding was needed to guarantee the quality of education for the university’s 19,000 students following the recent decision that the Fianna Fáil-Green Party coalition will not reintroduce tuition fees.
But UCC Students’ Union president Eoin Hayes said Dr Murphy was out of touch with his students, whose families are struggling with financial difficulty and for whom the cost of education is growing aside from the fee which went up 66% this year.
“The university experienced no increase in funding from the 67% rise in the registration fee, in fact there was a net decrease in funding due to a Government decision to cut the core grant to third level education,” Mr Hayes said.
He said the only purpose of the registration fee is to decrease the amount the State spends on third level education and put the burden unequally on families already struggling with extra Government levies.
Mr O’Keeffe said it remained a decision for the budgetary process in consultation with colleges and the Higher Education Authority.
Union of Students in Ireland deputy president Dan O’Neill said any further rise would act as a stealth tax on education that would cripple many middle income families.
“If the Government wants to cut costs in the third level sector, I suggest they start by reviewing the cost of employing senior management within Irish universities,” he said.
Dr Murphy made his comments as UCC launched its strategic plan for 2009 to 2012, which will require extra funding from sources other than the State of €12 million a year. He and other college heads are expecting cuts of up to 10% for next year to be announced in the budget.
Fine Gael education spokesman Brian Hayes said the minister is using students as cash cows.
