Madam, – Minister for Education Mary Coughlan is being very unfair to families in not ruling out a further hike in college registration fees in the next Budget. The Minister needs to take into consideration the consequences of raising the fee at a time when households across the country are under fierce financial strain, facing job losses and sharply decreasing incomes.
Things are very bleak for a lot of students and their families, with both part-time and graduate job prospects at an all-time low. More and more students are having to borrow beyond their means to cover costs for even basics such as food and accommodation.
A hike in college registration fees would only serve to restrict access to third-level education, lengthen the dole queues and increase the brain-drain at a time when we need Ireland’s brightest around to get us out of an economic mess that we Celtic Tiger cubs didn’t make! – Yours, etc,