25 September 2024: Five organisations representing students, universities, business and academic research have joined forces to call on government and opposition parties to make a step-change in investment in higher education and research. The call coincides with a pre-election hustings debate featuring representatives of all of the main political parties on the future funding of higher education held before a live audience at DCU today and streamed to an online audience.
The five organisations – including USI, IUA, THEA, RIA and the British-Irish Chamber – have made the joint call on all political parties in advance of the upcoming election. In a joint statement, they said:
“Investing in higher education is absolutely critical for the future of the country. We must fund higher education and research for our young people and for our future economic and societal health. Both domestic and multi-national companies cite the sustainability of educated, high-skills talent as crucial to Ireland’s competitiveness. We are at risk of falling behind our key competitors across the globe if the investment, pledged by government under Funding the Future, is not delivered.”
With investment per student far below the EU average, and with student-staff ratios in Irish higher education at 23:1 amongst the worst in Europe, the group of five have called time on the need to invest.
“It is essential that the next government, whatever its make-up, makes the necessary investment to both support the cost of higher education for students and the necessary funds for universities to deliver a quality, internationally competitive education. Our students and young people are the renewable resource for Ireland’s future. Government has identified what’s needed, and this now needs to be delivered.”
Funding the Future, launched by the then Minister for Further and Higher Education, Simon Harris TD, in May 2022, identified a €307m per annum shortfall in higher education core funding in addition to costs to support students and the funding for additional students and for national pay awards. In the two years since, €100m or just under one-third of the annual deficit has been provided but almost all of this has been eaten up by pay inflation arising from government-negotiated pay deals. Changes to student contributions and SUSI supports were made but have fallen well short of cost-of-living increases and accommodation costs for students.
The DCU debate features Senator Malcolm Byrne, Fianna Fáil; Senator Joe O’Reilly, Fine Gael; Mairéad Farrell TD, Sinn Fein; Richard Boyd Barrett TD, People Before Profit; Senator Pauline O’Reilly, Green Party; Senator Annie Hoey, Labour and Gary Gannon TD, Social Democrats. Moderated by Gary Murphy, Professor of Politics in the DCU School of Law and Government, the debate provides an opportunity to hear from the higher education spokespeople of the main political parties as to how they propose to deal with the funding challenges for higher education and research over the next five years.
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For the IUA manifesto please see www.iua.ie/elections
Event Partners:
The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) is the national representative body for the more than 360,000 affiliated students in third level education on the Island of Ireland.
The Irish Universities Association (IUA) is the representative voice of Ireland’s research intensive, enterprise engaged, public universities. We advocate for, and support, our 8 member universities; DCU, MU TCD, TU Dublin, University of Galway, UCC, UCD, UL.
The Technological Higher Education Association (THEA) is the voice of the technological higher education sector, advocating on behalf of and supporting our members in achieving their aims and objectives.
The Royal Irish Academy (RIA) is an independent, all-island learned society established under charter in 1785. It has approximately 680 members, chosen for their distinguished contributions to scholarship and research in the sciences, humanities, social sciences and public service. Membership is by election and is considered the highest academic honour in Ireland.
The British Irish Chamber of Commerce is the leading business and trade group serving businesses with interests in Britain and Ireland.