A chara, - The rhetoric of the European Year of Lifelong Learning rings hollow to our ears.
We are students of the College of Amenity Horticulture in the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin, Dublin, and are debarred from taking part in any of the horticultural placement and exchange programmes organised by our college, because of EU regulations regarding age. We are over the magic 28 years.
This ageism policy extends to our national airline, Aer Lingus, which provides student fares to USIT members, provided they are under 34 years old. We would like to ask the EU Ministers, and our Minister of Equality, how they can justify this discrimination against one-third of our students.
Yours, etc.,
On behalf of second-year students, College of Amenity Horticulture, National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin.