By Leonardo Parada Borda
University students took part in a national demonstration, organised by the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) last Wednesday, where they protested the €65 billion budget surplus the Government is said to accumulate over the next three years. Students nationwide were outraged to hear the surplus would be used for a ‘rainy-day’ fund instead of the cost-of-living crisis.
The protest began at the Garden of Remembrance and made its way down to the Dáil with students chanting and singing about the issues they face while studying in higher education.
The student-led demonstration was organised to highlight the issues surrounding third-level education and to offer the Government solutions to fix these problems.
Brian Jordan, president of the Technological University Dublin’s Student Union said, “This is a national demonstration organised by USI […] The reason we’re protesting is because we’ve seen a lack of student accommodation. The Government has failed to give [students] capital investments, even though that is a clear solution.”
“We have a huge amount of private rented accommodation all over Grangegorman. Students are paying up to €1,100 [monthly], and that’s because the university hasn’t built their own accommodation,” he added.
Environmental science student, Megan Tynan described how stressful it was to find accommodation closer to college.
“For my second year, I was commuting an hour and a half from college. By the time you get home, you’re wrecked,” she said.
“I was staying at a hostel for a few days during exams because my landlord decided to sell [the accommodation].”
“I was staying in a room with nine people, who were all strangers. It affected me negatively because it’s embarrassing to admit that you are struggling to find a place,” she added.
“It didn’t just fall out of the sky; it did not just happen. It was caused by Government policy.”
Dr Rory Hearne, Assistant Professor of Social Policy at Maynooth
According to the Pre-Budget Submission for the Budget 2024, submitted by USI, 33% of the total student population says they are experiencing serious financial issues. In 2019, that percentage sat at 26%.
President of Maynooth University Student Union, Alex Balfe said that “hundreds of students”, many of whom come from Donegal and Cork, are struggling to find accommodation on campus which is not “sustainable” for students.
“Students are waking up at five o’clock in the morning for their commute and they’re not getting home until very late in the evening,” Balfe said.
“There’s absolutely no accommodation in Maynooth, considering we’re a university town with more students than residents at the moment,” she added.
The latest figures on Funding the Future — a document released by the Government in August 2023, mentioned that full-time student numbers are increasing and are expected to “peak” at 233,000 in 2030. It is also mentioned that there are currently 29,773 “oversubscribed” students who will not get accommodation in the 2023/2024 academic year.
The document mentioned that Minister Simon Harris confirmed “Government approval” for a new policy to be introduced that will provide “state assistance” to the “development of new and additional student accommodation for higher education institutions”.
The Government also “approved €62 million in additional funding” for 1,072 additional beds in universities like the University of Limerick (UL), Maynooth University (MU), University of Galway (UG), and Dublin City University (DCU). Assessment is still ongoing for all five Technological Universities (TUs).
Dr Rory Hearne, an assistant social policy professor at Maynooth said, “The housing crisis is forcing students to drop out of college, forcing them to pay unaffordable rents and to live in hidden homelessness. College days are supposed to be the best days of your life, but now, it’s a nightmare for many students.”
“It didn’t just fall out of the sky; it did not just happen. It was caused by Government policy.”
“Rents have increased by 100% since 2011, and 60% since 2020. Here’s a radical idea, in Berlin, in 2020, they reduced rents and put a five-year rent freeze in place. Why doesn’t the Government reduce all rents by 20%, back to the level they were in 2020?” Hearne said.
In 2021, Berlin’s Mietendeckle — a rent control law in Berlin, was declared ‘unconstitutional’ and was replaced with Mietpreisbremse — a new rent control law that limits how much rent the landlord can ask for. It is also possible to claim money that was overpaid for rent.
President of USI, Chris Clifford said, “How far away from reality is our Taoiseach when students and graduates are leaving the country by the plane load, when students have to decide between food and printing, and when a student’s room is the front seat of their car? That is the reality that this country has created for students.”
“We’re looking for the Government to fund the future of this country […] There’s a ‘rainy day’ fund of €65 billion and we’re asking for five percent of that. That five percent reduces waiting lists in hospitals, that five percent means that there’s enough childcare practitioners in this country, and it also means that there are enough civil engineers out there to get these houses, that not only students, but the public are crying out for.”
“Five percent for the future of Ireland,” Clifford added.
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