[…]said: “Mr Prendergast’s statements are most unwelcome at a time where many families are struggling to meet the already burdensome cost of college. Should they be acted upon, they would represent a shift towards an elitist system of delivering Higher Education. There is no question that recent increases in the Student Contribution Charge, now at 2,500, have led us to a situation where we already have student fees in this country. We have in fact the 2nd highest rate of fees in the entire OECD area, second only to the United Kingdom. It is well-established that student loan schemes do not […]
[…]USI Vice-President for Welfare. “We want students to know that the ‘drink to get drunk’ culture that exists in Ireland comes with a serious hangover – one that can affect many areas of their lives and can have a very damaging impact on their mental health and wellbeing. Alcohol is a factor in half of all suicides in Ireland and depression is on the rise in the student community, who have the highest rates of binge drinking in the country. “We believe that we can bring about a positive change in this harmful drinking culture among the current generation of […]
[…]“We’ll see this Government at the ballot box.” The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has today expressed its anger and frustration as Budget 2019 again fails to deliver on the need for significant investment in third-level education and to alleviate the huge financial pressures students face across the country. The announced expenditure by Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe is a missed opportunity to begin to rectify the failure of successive Governments after years of cuts and neglect across Higher and Further Education. Additionally, measures to address the housing and homelessness crisis have entirely failed to include the lack of […]
[…]give students real-world application of their course content. Congress notes: That a correctly structured and relevant work placement can truly enhance the learning experience of the student. Congress notes with concern: That many work placement programs are not correctly structured, are not linked to the learning outcomes associated with the academic course and ultimately do not deliver in the benefits to the students that they were designed to provide. Congress therefore mandates: The Vice President, Academic Affairs and Quality Assurance to work with Member Organisations to accumulate current policies and practices relating to work placement programmes with a view to […]
