Greens admit battle to prevent registration fee hike is lost

THE Green Party has admitted it has lost its bid to protect students from hikes in registration fees, but said any increases should not take the charge beyond €2,000 a year.

The party’s education spokesman, Paul Gogarty, said “it wasn’t supposed to be this way”. He said the Greens had fought to keep such hikes out of the revised Programme for Government last year, but the economic climate had made it impossible to protect the sector.

“This year, in the light of the huge economic pressures we face, a rise is unavoidable. But talk of an increase to €3,000, or even €2,500, is untenable and would have an immediate negative impact on student participation and on struggling families already hit in other ways.