THE FIGHT AGAINST FEES: Five reasons to oppose College fees

1. Fees won't cut costs during the recession

A fully funded education system will increase Ireland's attractiveness on a global market, more graduates meaning more capable and skilled workers. This has and will drive inward investment into Ireland and create jobs.

It also increases the likelihood that Ireland can create its own native industry building a future which will see us become financially stable for years to come.

2. Fees will increase government debt and emigration

1,000 people emigrate from Ireland every week. Most of these are young, skilled and capable. Many of whom could not afford college or could not afford postgraduate courses due to the recent cut in the postgraduate grant. This means that young Irish people who would be paying billions of euros back in taxes to the Irish state are now elsewhere and are of no financial reward to the government. The process of Ireland's skilled young workers is known as an economic ‘brain-drain'.

It should also be noted that graduates will, on average, get better jobs, generate more economic activity and pay on average 70% more tax over their working lives than non-graduates and therefore, repay the cost of their education and more.

While young people face social welfare as a prospect if they cannot pay college fees, they become a cost to the state rather than improving the state and their own skills by becoming a graduate.

3. Fees will be cheaper for the rich and dearer for the poor

Ruairi Quinn, the Minster for Education has stated that the student contribution fee could go as high as €3,000 by 2015. If you are from a low income or low income family, €3,000 can is a huge amount of money, especially if you have brothers and sisters wanting to go to college also. The current system denies those from low incomes a chance having opportunity in Ireland at this moment but yet, those from higher incomes who can afford fees remain to have no financial barrier yet they are most likely to have opportunity anyways.

It should be noted, that in any family or income, with increasing taxes, wage cuts and widespread redundancy is at risk of struggling to pay college fees at anytime should their income suddenly change, if it hasn't already.

4. Fees will restrict access to third-level education

The government has signalled its intention to increase third-level participation rates to 72% by the year 2020, in order to create a knowledge economy workforce that can dig us out of recession. Forcing €32,000 of debt for a science or technology degree on potential students is no way to encourage participation, but instead is a recipe for continued emigration.
Secondary school students will be encouraged to not enter third-level education as they will face massive debts or graduate taxes. Families from lower-income backgrounds will be especially discouraged from taking on such debts.

5. Third-level education is already underfunded

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has found that in 2005 Ireland was spending 1.2% of our national income on third-level education, a decrease from 1.5% in the year 2000. They also found that our euro-for-euro spending was well below the international average. As for the pitiful Student Grant, which is aimed at helping ordinary families send their children to college, it doesn't even cover the cost of rent in the main university towns.

The government is attempting to create a world-class third-level education system without funding it properly. Instead, it wants 18 year old Leaving Cert students to take on the funding issue and spend years repaying loans and debts in a turbulent job market.

HOW YOU CAN HELP US. . .

PARENTS
Your support is vital. You are the voters and the taxpayers, and the politicians are more likely to listen to you than students. Email or send letters to your local elected representatives, whether TD, Senator or Councillor and express your opposition to college fees. Let them know they won't be getting your vote if they are in favour of fees.

FIRST YEARS
Watch out for our anti-fees campaigns on campus, and get involved in the protest marches we'll be organising during the next few weeks. We'll also be leafleting the city centre in the run-up to the Cabinet meeting on fees. Like your parents, you can email or send letters to your local elected representatives expressing your opposition to fees. Let them know they won't be getting your vote if they are in favour of fees.

Contact the Vice President/Education Officer for more info