Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on education in the Seanad, Senator Paul Gavan, spoke out today against the introduction of the €450 supplemental exam fee in Trinity.
In a speech to the Seanad this morning, Gavan called on Trinity to reverse its decision and said College should take into account the interests of students who are struggling financially in third-level education.
Gavan noted that the “introduction of supplemental fees was always going to cause outrage”, but noted that “the outrageous figure of €450” was something no one expected. Citing the fact that Ireland has the second-highest student fees in Europe and that students could be paying up to €10,000 a year for accommodation, Gavan stated that “these new financial costs will price more and more students out of an education”.
He noted the preferendum held by Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) and that “80 per cent of students voted to oppose supplemental fees”. He also said that the radical action against Trinity would have his full support.
Today, students gathered to protest outside House One, in Front Square, ahead of a meeting of Trinity’s Finance Committee. The Finance Committee is proposing an increase in accommodation fees for on-campus rooms – another move from Trinity that has generated anger from students in recent days. The protest saw TCDSU President Kevin Keane, TCDSU Education Alice MacPherson, candidate for President of the Graduate Students Union (GSU) Oisín Vince Coulter, TCDSU Disability Rights Officer Laura Beston and TCDSU President-elect Shane De Rís leading chants outside House One and House Six. Speaking to The University Times, Keane strongly condemned the fees, calling them “another unacceptable disregard for students”.
