Minister & Taoiseach signal support for graduate tax.
national |
miscellaneous |
news report 
Monday March 03, 2003 18:05
by Oisin Kelly- UCDSU Education Vice President elect - SP
The Minister for Education and the Taoiseach have signalled their support for a Graduate Tax.
The Minister for Education, Noel Dempsey, has been making noises about bringing back fees, in some form or another, throughout the year. The Government have been spinning it so that they say it's all about widening access to education.
Over the weekend the Taoisech signalled that he supports Dempsey's "review" of the funding of 3rd level education. The Government are planning to re-introduce fees, in some form. Last year the registration fee was increased by 69%. This year the Government may increase that fee to over 1000. The prospect of fees being re-introduced should not be ruled out. Although it looks as if they will bring in the "Graduate Tax" or "Student Loan" system.
This has to be met with stern and determined opposition from Students. Graduate Tax is essentially a 'double tax'. It is an attack on the living standards of graduates and is a very much a part of the agenda of cut-backs of this government. The Government are serious about bringing in cut-backs in education, we need Students' Unions that are also serious. Mass non-payment of fees, and nationwide stoppages in colleges should not be ruled out.
In UCD over the past year the Campaign for Free Education (CFE) has been at the forefront of opposition to the government's plans to cut-back in education. It is essential that we get organised into genuine campaigning democratic organisations if students are to successfully defeat the government on this issue. Furthermnore it's essentiall that SUs are reclaimed from the hacks and cronies that currently dominate and that we link up with Trade Union activists and Community Campaigners in a fight against the wider agenda of cut-backs.
LINKS:
http://www.freeeducation.cjb.net (CFE)
http://www.syucd.cjb.net
http://www.socialistparty.net
Comments (4 of 4)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4Maybe it will be a good thing if free fees are abolished. The present system hasn't helped widen access. If the grants and supports for people who can't afford it are increased, what's wrong with that?
The 'if' is what's wrong with it. Given this government's track record on, oooh, everything, I'd want to see the increased grants and supports put in place BEFORE removing free fees.
Besides which, I'm one of the people that couldn't have gone through college without free fees. So I've no particular love for the idea of them being abolished.
have you not realised that lots of disgruntled graduates and postgraduates are a "bad thing", New World Order doesnŽt need all these educated people about. YouŽll never get a trogladyte class in the old delicatassen formation with free fees!
anyway it is perfectly ok to haev a Mc Job for life now with a doctorate or without. Whats your problem youŽll never earn enough money to pay back the "educational loans" ["great british hun invention that] or actually to be very honest and perhaps a tad cruel [iŽm in a say it straight mood] you will never have enough money to object fiscally to your stateŽs military expenditure and it mean anything more than putting a "stop war" sticker on your bank loan bought car.
I believe Mr Irving Welsh said it quite well before the publishing fee sent him to Eurotrash A-dam oblivion and he stopped writing.
Do you have condoms?
Students always need condoms.
start a condom campaign.
ask the government for condoms.
My, what a great title you have! Should we bow before you now? Whjy are you using a title for a post which you wont fill for months?
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