Fórsa has backed today’s student-led demonstrations against insufficient higher education funding. The protests, which are taking place at college campuses around the country, are demanding that the Government closes the deficit caused by several years of underinvestment in the third-level sector.
The protests are backed by the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) and the Coalition for Publicly Funded Higher Education. Fórsa is a member of the Coalition which, last May, called for a minimum investment of €199 million to be allocated for 2019. It said the figure was based on Fine Gael manifesto promises and the Cassells report into higher education funding, both of which said investment of €100 million a year was the minimum annual investment necessary just to keep pace with demographic changes.
The protests, which are taking place at college campuses around the country, are demanding that the Government closes the deficit caused by several years of underinvestment in the third-level sector.
The current Government’s first two budgets fell far short of this. They earmarked spending of just €101 million for higher and further education over two years: €36.5 million 2017 and €64.5 million in 2018. The campaign coalition wants the shortfall of €99 million, plus €100 million for next year, to be allocated to higher education.
Gina O’Brien, who chairs Fórsa’s Education Division, said students, staff and lecturers from second and third-level institutions will take part in the protests.
We are calling on the Government to address the funding issue at third level, which it has ignored for many years. While we welcome recent increases in spending in the sector, they fall far short of what is needed to address the crisis.
“We are calling on the Government to address the funding issue at third level, which it has ignored for many years. While we welcome recent increases in spending in the sector, they fall far short of what is needed to address the crisis,” she said.
Last June the coalition published a survey, which showed that over 90% of people who expressed a preference backed increased investment in higher education. The research, which was carried out by polling organisation Behaviour & Attitudes (B&A), found that between 54% and 70% of all age groups said they agreed strongly with the statement ‘public investment in the higher education sector should be increased,’ with support strongest among those aged below 25.