Irish Examiner view: Issues reflect whole of society

A report from the University College Dublin Students’ Union has shown that almost two in three students in UCD who are not living at home are paying over €750 a month in rent. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins Photos Dublin.

One of the greatest steps taken in opening up Irish society was Donagh O’Malley’s 1966 decision to make secondary education free — a move which contributed greatly to Ireland’s development in subsequent decades by bringing an end to an era when second-level schooling was the preserve of the privileged.

In due course third-level education also became an option for far more people, which benefited the country hugely. 

As a result it is disappointing to see a financial consideration conspire against many people’s chances of attending university or college — specifically, the astronomical rents students face in Dublin.

A report from the University College Dublin Students’ Union has shown that almost two in three students in UCD who are not living at home are paying over €750 a month in rent, which is nearly twice the national student average.

This is a colossal financial burden to place on families living outside the capital. 

Finding this amount per child attending college in Dublin is not a challenge for most families, but an impossibility.

There are other consequences. This cuts down on diversity in professions like veterinary medicine, which is only offered in UCD, as many prospective students will simply be unable to afford living in Dublin.

It will also slant membership of such professions towards Dublin students who can live at home instead of having to rent. 

This has serious implications for the country as a whole, as it not only narrows range of those entering those professions, it will encourage lopsided development in Ireland if there is a concentration of expertise in the capital at the expense of other regions.

As often happens, the headline news may grab the eye at first, but lurking within this story are the seeds of even greater challenges down the line. 

Accommodation and housing are problems for all levels of society, and this case shows how those problems may manifest themselves elsewhere in Irish society in years to come if not addressed with specific measures now.