New survey information was released by the Union of Students in Ireland today outlining student’s reactions to the Budget. 80% of students will vote for another party in the General Election after seeing the Budget priorities. 66.7% of students feel let down by the current government. 91% of students feel the government has not appropriately addressed student supports in the Budget. The USI said the further €3 million secured for the SAF (student assistant fund) to support the most disadvantaged and the minimum wage raised by 50cent will help working students, however the lack of reintroducing postgraduate grants is disappointing. “Although the increase of €3 million for […]
[…]We are being asked to minimise travel as much as possible to help limit the spread of the virus. USI is extremely concerned at the last-minute nature of this announcement, with most students already having plans in place. Lorna said: “This decision is coming very late in the day. There are many students who have already started back and thousands more who are due to start on Monday. This adds to what is and has been a very stressful time for many students and their families. “However, as we have said, student safety is our main priority and we will […]
[…]referendum in two weeks’ time. The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) warned the Government today (Thursday), that students are ready to demonstrate their electoral power in the upcoming Seanad referendum. With voter registration drives underway on campuses across the country, USI expect to have 10,000 students registered on the Student Elector Registration Database (SERD) by polling day on October 4th. Students who sign up to the database will be contacted by USI encouraging them to vote in the referendum and setting out USI’s position. USI is encouraging students to vote ‘No’ to the abolition of the Seanad, to provide […]
[…]but the higher education sector is becoming increasingly exclusionary as financial struggles force some to make the heartbreaking decision to abandon their education altogether. USI is calling on the Government to make provision in Budget 2025 to properly address the student financial crisis and make going to college a realistic aim for every young person in Ireland.” Among the key asks in the USI Pre-Budget 2025 Submission are: Fund the building of the 30,000-bed shortfall in student accommodation Reduce fees by €1,500 now and introduce a plan to abolish fees over the next few years Free public transport for all students Read […]
[…]on the third anniversary of the vote to remove the Eighth Amendment from the Irish constitution. Today marks three years since almost 1,500,000 people voted yes for a more compassionate Ireland where women can make their own decisions in pregnancy and access abortion in Ireland. While we look back on the struggle for bodily autonomy and access to abortion care here in Ireland that resulted in that referendum win, we continue our fight – many counties across Ireland do not have access to abortion care and many women still have to travel to receive this healthcare. It has now been […]
