“If this happens you’ll be seeing a lot more of these” bellowed GMIT Castlebar Students Union President Mark Early to the wet huddled student body who had just marched through the town yesterday.
Mr Early was holding in front of him a student loan application form as the students of GMIT ended their protest march which had snaked through the town at lunch time. Placards, whistles and tambourines provided the beat and rhythm of the protest as the crowd made their voices loudly known on the possible re-introduction of third level fees.
As the rest of the parade made their way back to the college, Mr Early spoke to the Mayo Advertiser on what he hoped the march would achieve. “Considering the weather today, it was great turn out as a few hours ago I didn’t think that we would have as many as we did. It shows how close to the students’ hearts this is. I think the Government don’t know how hard a battle they will be in on this. There are over 250,000 students in the country and the next time the Government come looking for our vote they will know all about it if this comes in.”
He believes that the reintroduction of fees could kill off the hopes of many prospective students in going to college. “We have been preaching in this country for years that education is free, but even now that is not the case. We had a €75 increase in the student services charges this year. It has gone up to €900 to register in the college and that money is supposed to go into student services. But it hasn’t gone into student services, it has been clawed back and sent elsewhere.”
The increase in student registration and services fees hasn’t stopped the cutting back on student services in the college according to Mr Early. “In our own college here and in Galway we have lost part of our chaplain services, due to the cut backs. I think that Government needs to listen to the youth of today, because were going into a recession. I know every avenue needs to be approached for money and how to save it. But if your going to be approaching students you’ll have a hard job getting it. They are risking losing a lot of institutions and the cream of the crop of the youth out of the country.”
The different models that are being considered by the Government at the minute as to how to deal with the shortfall of money in the third level sector are not a solution to the problem according to Mr Early.
