Download the USI Budget 2018 Submission here: USI Budget 2018 Submission

Education is a public good and should be treated as such. Properly funded third-level education is the foundation of job creation, social equality, and a thriving economy.

Meaningful investment in higher education is necessary if we are to meet a myriad of state objectives, such as having a highly skilled workforce which will subsequently attract foreign direct investment, or to be a country which in world-renowned for research and innovation.

The third-level sector has struggled to perform during many years of austerity. USI believes that the sector should be praised for its efforts to deliver a quality education during a sustained period of under-investment and uncertainty. However, what is necessary as a response to crisis is not sustainable as a long-term model. It’s time to match talk of economic recovery with strategic investment in this essential public service.

As you will no doubt be aware, a key concern of hundreds of thousands of students and their families is the ever- rising cost of third-level education. Dramatic increases in accommodation costs, a persistent shortage in appropriate part-time work, and the burden of €3,000 fees contribute to a significant annual cost of around €11,000 to attend third-level. Against a backdrop of drastically reduced family incomes, this arrangement is not sustainable. Further, there has been no increase in the sufficiency of core student supports while these costs have risen. Students and families are actively and demonstrably struggling to make ends meet.

Last year, a number of options were put on the table to tackle the higher education funding crisis. Now is the time to act. We need an ambitious government who is determined to give education the priority it deserves after years of savage cuts and underinvestment. Higher education is under threat, not only due to the current insufficient levels of funding, but also because of the spiralling costs incurred by a students and their family. No person who wishes to pursue an education should be locked out due to either financial or societal barriers. We must strive for a higher education system that is valued by both government and society, and live up to our reputation of being an island of scholars.

In this document we outline a number of key areas in higher education we see as being crucial for investment in. The quality and accessibility of higher education is a key concern for many, and without proactive measures, we fear we will be faced with an underperforming, two-tiered higher education sector.