Shauna Cleary | Supplements Editor
President of the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) Joe O’Connor has begun his tenure by confirming intentions to urge the government to protect student grants in the 2014 Budget. His announcement follows the publication of a study by DIT revealing that the cost of student living will rise to almost €8,000 in the 2013/2014 academic year.
The Cost of Living Guide reveals that students living away from home can expect to pay €7900 upwards in the coming academic year while students living at home have seen a hike of €81, bringing their expenses to just over €4000 a year. Moreover, these figures do not include the Student Contribution Fee – rising to €2500 this year – which has seen students from around the country taking to the streets in protest.
With a significant rise in rent and transport costs and a reduction in the availability of student supports following recent budget cuts, O’ Connor has stressed the obligation of the government to ensure that student grants remain untouched in light of the increasing economic difficulties facing students:
“We would call on Minister Quinn and the Government to take this into account in ensuring that no further reductions to the current levels of the student maintenance grant rates or thresholds are imposed in the upcoming Budget, and existing student support levels are maintained in full.”
O’Connor outlined the implications of these grant cuts and increasing fees, stating that the worsening situation “also impacts on the mental health and academic output of students, and increases pressures on families already struggling with recessionary times but determined to keep their sons and daughters in third-level education.”
This insight comes in light of another recent survey which revealed that 60% of students admitted to feeling stressed about their financial situation. In an attempt to further investigate this, the USI – partnered with Amárach Research – plans to carry out a survey of all third-level students during the summer, hoping to garner data on their financial situations and the impact this has on their mental health.
The Student Contribution Fee is expected to reach €3,000 by 2015 as Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn aims to cut the budget by up to €70 million; however, O’Connor has asserted that although “it is clear that the cashflow difficulties and financial difficulties facing the students of today have reached breaking point for many…my USI Officerboard team for 2013/14 will be relentless in seeking to ensure no further hardship is enforced on those most vulnerable.”
O’Connor officially took over the presidency of the Union from John Logue on the 1st July. Logue left the position after al year which saw one of the largest student fees protests to date in November, as well as the disaffiliation of University College Dublin from the Union.
