THE Union of Students in Ireland has called on all political parties to set up a Department of Youth and Student Affairs headed by a cabinet minister after the next election.
USI was concerned that "youth", and student affairs always seem to take a back seat to other issues, and this fear was heightened recently when both Fianna Fail in its policy on sport and Minister of State, Bernard Allen, in his sports strategy document pushed for ward the notion of a Cabinet Minister for Sport".
There had been a junior Minister for Youth and Sport at the Department of Education since 1973, USI education officer Mr Malcolm Byrne said, but sport always seemed to get the bulk of the various Ministers' attention. "Neither the Government nor Fianna Fail have spelt out what will happen to the youth affairs side of that brief if there is to be a Sports Minister."
Mr Byrne said they were still waiting for publication of the long-promised Youth Services Bill, which the Department of Education was now saying would be out in the first week of March. Such legislation had been promised ever since the Costello Report on the youth services in the mid 1980s. Now it seemed highly unlikely that any Bill would become law before the general election.
Mr Byrne pointed out that half the State's population was under 30, and around 700,000 people aged 18 to 30 years - more than a quarter of the electorate were eligible to vote.
The number of students in further and higher education matched those engaged in farming, he said. But there were only five members of the Oireachtas (two TDs and three senators) under 30.
"We feel that the concerns of other groups are being strongly represented around the Cabinet table. Most recently the youth side of things is being ignored as sport gets all the emphasis," said Mr Byrne.
"Young people are tired of being told that they are the future of the nation. Our views and ideas are as valid as any other sector of society. They deserve to be heard at every key decision-making table including the Cabinet table."
While welcoming the Minister for Education, Ms Breathnach's moves towards increased student representation on college governing bodies, Mr Byrne said Ireland was still behind the European average, students still had no representation on the Higher Education Authority, and student participation in decision-making structures at second level was minimal.