Irish Education Forum

dublin | eu | event notice Tuesday February 17, 2004 15:56 by Aidan - Dep Pres UCDSU deputy.president at ucd dot ie

Preparations to be made , Teachers Club Saturday 2pm

This Saturday UCDSU is trying to organise as many activists as possible to create the beginings of an Irish Education Forum. It is hoped that it will be organised for the 18th and 19th March as an alternative to the OECD meeting that is taking place in Dublin Castle that same weekend.

In yesterdays edition of the Irish Times it was reported that the OECD have begun preparations with the HEA (not reported) to review and overhall the the Third level sector in Ireland. The Paris based group will propse to streamline both the university and IT sector. It will equally propse to introduce third level fees to substitute the chronic lack of funding by the government in the sector. This lack of funding has also opened the flood gates and recommened by the OECD for further involvment of big buisness in the funding of higher education. It has become obvious that this problem like every other threat to public services is not entirely local. It is an attempt by a Neo Liberal Europe to sell off public services into the private market and turn education into a commodity to be bought and sold at will to the highest bidder. Education as it is is already a privelege to an elite sector of the Irish society. It is time that students and activists decided were our education is going. Education is a right and the essence of social justice and equity. THe agenda as to were our Education is going will and should be decided by students. Equal opportunity is central to all decisions on education as are access and fairness.
That is why on the 18 and 19th March an Irish Education will be held to organise and resist the neo liberal agenda that is being imposed on us. A public meeting open to all will be held in the Teachers Club at 2pm this Saturday to make preparations for the weekend.