Ideas + work = results

Vienna this week!

2010-03-10T04:07:00.000-08:00

Well after a week off I am certainly back into the grind of stuff again! I am off to an ESU event in Vienna, where I will be chairing a workshop on student campaigning and mobilisation - I am looking forward to that quite a lot! Of course I have managed to double book myself for an event this week but thankfully our Equality Officer will be able to step in to talk about integration of International students at a conference in NUIM.

Its only a few weeks to congress so we will be getting ready for that, I hope that we may even have a new Bilateral agreement to pass through our congress national council.

Back to Vienna, its a big week in terms of Bologna and the implementation of it on a pan European scale. Below is the statement from ESU regarding the situation:

European Student Summit 2010 (ESS2010)
Statement towards the Anniversary Bologna Ministerial Conference in Budapest and Vienna

The European Students’ Union, representing 11 million students, believes that the Bologna process has reached some of its goals, but is far from attaining the aim of building a functional European Higher Education Area (EHEA) by 2010. A follow up to the Lisbon Strategy has recently been launched under the flagship of ‘Europe 2020’. In both processes we stand at a critical point. Unless concrete and immediate action is taken, the tension between the two processes will increase, obstructing both from reaching their distinct aims. The Bologna Process should be the foundation for EU initiatives on Higher Education, thereby avoiding the creation of parallel conflicting agendas.

The Bologna process has created both a spirit of exchange between stakeholders and raised awareness of the ideal of student participation throughout Europe. Stakeholder participation is a fundamental factor in the quality-enhancement of higher education provision within the EHEA.

Bologna challenges

Á la carte implementation
The implementation of some of the action lines has been superficial and incorrect. Others in some national contexts have not been implemented at all. All Bologna action lines must be implemented concurrently, in order to avoid the creation of a dysfunctional and socially unjust EHEA. The current situation shows that if this does not occur, the result will be detrimental for the students and the entire academic community invested in the engagement of the Bologna Process.

The Bologna Process has been the scapegoat for ill-advised reforms under the guise of the implementation of action lines, when in fact those reforms only suited the priorities of the national governments. An example of this can be seen in some national contexts, where tuition fees have been implemented or student participation has been reduced, under the pretext of the Bologna Process. Consequently there is great confusion over what is actually ‘Bologna’. Due to this, there is no doubt that further implementation is unlikely to be broadly supported by the students, staff and leaders of higher education institutions.

A Viennese Waltz in search of rhythm

Each of the 46 Bologna countries had different starting points and priorities for the implementation process, resulting in disparity between the signatory states. Bologna with Student Eyes surveys show that in not one Bologna signatory have all of the action lines been correctly implemented. National Bologna agendas can endanger the realisation of Bologna goals, hindering the effective engagement of other countries in Bologna implementation due to a genuine loss of belief in the process.
Collectively the EHEA states ought to be concentrating on the achievement of a European dimension through true implementation of the Bologna Process, rather than increasing the attractiveness of individual countries for foreign students. It is only this cooperation that will result in higher education institutions reaching their targets and maintaining their societal value as a whole.

Higher Education: A right, a public good and a public responsibility
Addressing higher education as a competitive market creates significant barriers to realising the Bologna social dimension goal. The student body entering, participating in and completing higher education, at all levels, should reflect the diversity of national populations. This makes the social dimension one of our main priorities and a significant Bologna challenge for the next decade. ESU believes that overcoming this challenge would result in a quality higher education for all, reached through the full implementation of national strategies, with consolidated internal and external quality assurance systems.

Mobility

For the past 10 years, the Bologna Process has been a driver for academically meaningful mobility. In spite of this, several problems persist. For both personal and professional development, mobility is an enriching experience for students and academic staff and should not merely be a national tool for economic interests. ESU restates its commitment to the increase and diversification of the mobile student population. We urge governments to remove obstacles currently in place, so that 20% of graduates are mobile within the EHEA by 2020.

Student-centred learning

Student-centred learning has to be at the heart of the future Bologna Process implementation. From curricula reform, to innovative pedagogies and from student support to student participation, quality assured support is imperative for the realisation of the full potential of each student. Accomplishing this paradigm shift is the actual finish line of the Bologna Process in students’ eyes.

The Student voice

Students have always been constructively critical and active partners in the creation of a European Higher Education Area. The Bologna Process would not be the same today without student participation. Moreover, recent student protests have shown that the Bologna Process is far from reaching its intended goals. We, as European student representatives, stand in solidarity with all students fighting for a student-centred European Higher Education Area. What we celebrate in Vienna is the student contribution to the Bologna Process, but ESU believes that much remains to be done before students are able to reap the benefits of the Bologna Process. We urge ministers responsible for higher education to commit to:

Supporting the aims of the Bologna Process, whilst not allowing for further confusion regarding the main goals and tools of the process. This is especially important when looking at the parallel agendas being launched at the same time as the EHEA, such as the EU2020.

Holistic, In-depth and financially supported continued implementation of all Bologna action lines, with a special focus on the social dimension, mobility and student-centred learning.

Inter-governmental solidarity, to overcome the ill-effects of the ‘two-speed’ Bologna implementation, rather than an excessive focus on the individual promotion of national higher education systems.

Full student participation in all decision-making structures at national, regional and institutional levels.

It is only through the full commitment of both governments and stakeholders that we can hope for the establishment of an European Higher Education Area, representing more in ten years’ time than just the memory of a celebration.

The end of a good week....

2010-02-27T05:13:00.000-08:00

Well it’s been a pretty decent week. I’m delighted that NUI Maynooth students have taken the wise decision to rejoin the national organisation. I am looking forward to formally welcoming NUIM SU back into the fold. Well over 70% decided that USI was worth joining and I think this is a particularly impressive figure given the amount of misunderstanding of what USI does and the negative campaigning from the no to USI side.

Having NUIM back in the fold will strengthen USI standing on a national scale and ensure that some new voices will be heard in our policy decisions.

We also had our Lobby of the Oireachtas on Thursday. Again another good turnout from the members of the Oireachtas with just over 100 coming over to see us. It was a long day – with us running from 8am to 6pm. As always Mary Upton was the first one in, we also had some of the newest senators visit us – James Carroll and Niall O’Brolchain. NUIG, WIT, IADT, Carlow IT and Tralee IT brought students to talk with the politicians and we had student unions from UCC, UCD, DIT and TCD present. All in all it was a positive day and after meeting with the department of education on Monday I am hopeful of getting the Student Support Bill back onto the agenda soon.

I am writing this on a bus from Dublin back to Galway where I will be having a bit of a birthday bash and I am looking forward to taking some annual leave next week!

A Defining Week?

2010-02-21T17:38:00.000-08:00

Well this week looks like its shaping up to being one of the defining weeks of USI 2009 - 2010.

Two major events this week, the NUIM Affiliation Referendum and the Lobby of the Oireachtas. Details of each can be found on www.usi.ie.

The NUIM Referendum is on Wednesday 24th and here the students of Maynooth are being asked two questions, whether they want to re-join USI and whether they wish to have another referendum in three years to decide whether they want to stay in USI, should they choose yes for the first question.

Dan has been on the ground in Maynooth for almost a week now and we also have a cohort of Maynooth students helping out. USI officerboard will be taking to the campus on Monday, Tuesday and a big push on the Wednesday.

Here is hoping it goes well!

The second big event this week is the Lobby. This lobby, the second of our term so far, will focus solely on the grant and back to education allowance. It is 24 months since the student support bill was published. It is unnacceptable that there has been such a delay and that is why, as part of our campaign to get it back on track, we are hosting this lobby.

The thousands of students affected this year should send warning signals to policy makers and politicians as this will only get worse over the coming years unless we address the meltdown in the grant system.

We also have to ask why those on the back to education allowance will no longer be able to recieve the grant. A cut that only affects mature students.

I will be going to the department of education on monday for discussions on the bill and this will kick off - what I hope is our final big push - for the student support bill and reform in the grant system.

So another big week for us in USI and its also my birthday this week so sounds like a hectic week already!

SHAG Week is apon us again!

2010-02-08T08:14:00.000-08:00

Well it is here! SHAG week has arrived, it’s been a long time coming - when you consider our offices were full of boxes of condoms, lube, envelopes etc!

So the launch happened today in the busy and boisterous Bolton street campus of DIT. The launch ad a good mix of students, media and student union officers and was a really great way to launch the flagship event of USI’s calendar.

As I pointed out today, USI officers used to get arrested for giving out condoms – now we have a week dedicated to sex and giving out almost 50,000 condoms to students. Of course the week is called SHAG week but this stands for Sexual Health and Guidance Week, so there is much emphasis on education and guidance as part of the overall campaign.

This week promises to be another busy week. Lots of media done today as regards the delay in grants and this is an issue that we are working hard to address in HQ at the moment.

Stay tuned for more information!

Student Services Charge - what is it funding??

2010-01-28T08:15:00.000-08:00

Today was an interesting day, lots on my plate, SHAG week stuff to finalise, and Officerboard dinner, Quality documents, reaffiliation documents, mid year interm reports, grant queries, media enquiries re the esri reports, contacting politicians, reviewing the nus-usi bilateral agreement - just your general day as USI president!

But today the University heads, the IUA heand and the head of the HEA were up in front of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education. I will post the transcript of this presentation once it is ready but it was a very interesting event!

From what transpired today it was very evident that the reg fee is being used to supplement the core grant - it has become a tuition fee.

I'm sure more will be said about this over the coming days and it will be interesting to see what the response of the Minister will be to what transpired today.

Tomorrow I am off to an event in Aras an Uachtarain so I am looking forward to that!

Another brief update!

2010-01-25T14:14:00.000-08:00

It was a busy week last week and looks like being a busy week again this week (and next week too!). With the launch of the ESRI reports tomorrow we have been busy in the office formulating a response and also the University presidents are in front of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education on Thursday so we await what will be said at that. I will also be meeting more members of the Oireachtas on Wednesday and on Friday the day will centre around a visit to Aras an Uachtaran!

The Activist Academy held in Athlone last week was a big success. I hope that USI is able to grow the event over the coming years as it is a very useful tool for student unions and students alike.

http://gplay.ipowow.com/player?v=mwhsrVfS3ec&w=480&h=390

Please visit this link and vote and have your say. This is a new departure for us here at USI. This is the first time we have used online interactice polling/voting technology and it is a great tool for us and allows us instant access to opinion.

Dublin as an International Student City

2010-01-18T05:30:00.000-08:00

Today I was on at panel discussing Dublin as an International Student City help by the Dublin Mayor. It was a good event and I was impressed with Shelia Power, the head of ICOS, who it would appear think along the same lines as myself! While my background knowledge on international students I was very fortunate to have some excellent documents, available from the USI website (www.usi.ie) created by the USI Equality Officer, Linda Kelly, as part of that campaign.

I really do hope that some 'outside the box thinking' is done before any decisions or plans are made on creating Dublin as an international student city. These international students should not be solely there as a 'cash cow' for the educational institutions as these students will need integration and will ultimately require the educational institutions to provide services for them.

Also much needed discussion needs to happen before a long term view and plan is made about the role of international students in both education and wider society. We must recognise that events like this may happen http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/we-will-not-tolerate-attack-on-indian-students-australian-minister_100284439.html and it is imperative that we focus on proper integration and ask both international students and Irish students how to achieve this. We must also ask the wider community for their views.

For every 100 international students in Dublin about 17 jobs are created as a direct result according to a panellist today and this is an impressive figure that should be noted given we are in the depths of a recession. It is also imperative that the Quality Mark is realised immediately to ensure that rouge educational institutes, in particular some English language Schools, which do not have the students at the centre and provide shoddy service and education should be closed down.

Looking forward to reading the report when its finished and here's hoping that all involved in the educational sector gets this right.

Busy times ahead!

2010-01-14T05:01:00.000-08:00

January is always a busy month for the USI officers and we certainly are very busy this month. Just sent our affiliation document to the designers there and hope to have our interm mid year report 'and impact report' finished by the end of the week. We will be publishing them online so keep an eye out on www.usi.ie for these from next week.

Next week will be a busy week for myself. On Monday I am a panelist at the 'Dublin as an International Student City' workshop and in the afternoon I will be meeting with Senator Mullen regarding Quality issues within Third level, in fact I will also be meeting with Brian Hayes, Ulick Burke and senator Fidelma Healey Eames and Cecilia Keaveney also to discuss Quality issues in the run up to the amalgamation of the Qulaity Agences.

On Tuesday I will be heading up to NUS-USI in Belfast and on Thursday and Friday we will be in Athlone for the Activist Academy, where I will also host a Presidents Working Group to discuss the upcoming congress!

So the next couple of weeks will be fairly busy but do keep an eye out on usi.ie for all the stuff that we will be doing.

Activist Academy

2010-01-13T04:16:00.000-08:00

Date For Your Diary

What is the USI Activist Academy?
This 1 day event is aimed at part time officers, class reps, society committee members and other interested students. Training will be provided on issues such as campaigning, media and public relations. Sessions on specific campaigns (equality, welfare, education, fees etc) will also be run. The aim of the event is to empower student to lead campaigns at a local level.

Important Information
Start: 3pm, 21st January
Finish: 3pm, 22nd January
Where: Athlone

There are a limited amount of places available. To provisionally book a place please email deputypresident@usi.ie

A small deposit is expected and will be returned to delegates who attend. More details and a full programme to follow.

New Year - New Aims

2010-01-12T09:11:00.000-08:00

Back in HQ - everyone survived the snow! Well we are back into the full swing of things and had a refocusing exercise on Monday and I think it was beneficial to sit down and see what needs doing!

Anyways, January looks as though it will be a crazy month in terms of campaigns. The 'What's your attitude' Campaign is going out to the colleges over the next day or so. The SHAG campaign is coming along too - Ciaran and Hugh have done a great job on it so far. Also a new drinks / antisocial campaign is something which we hope to roll out very soon and it looks like a decent campaign already so I am quiet pleased with it so far. Quality is a term that we are focusing on and with the amalgamation of the quality and awarding bodies we must ensure that student representation and student involvement in the new body is a central mantra.

The Activist Academy is on in Athlone on the 21st and 22nd of January. I am very excited about this and Dan has done a smashing job in getting it together. We already have good numbers for the event and I am looking forward to it!

The presidents will also be meeting at a special President Working Group to have a discussion on Congress. The dates for congress are March 29th to April 1st and the timelines for motions and elections can be found on the USI website. We are updating the website regularly so if you get a chance do have a look.

I will be heading to Belfast next week and am looking forward to visiting NUS-USI and perhaps the SU’s of QUB and UU should time allow. On Monday I will be at a workshop in the Dublin Civic Offices on the theme of ‘Dublin as an international students’ city’.

I had a good rest over the Christmas and New Year periods and am rearing to go again for what will be my last few months in the student movement!

Another Lobby Finished!

2009-11-12T05:20:00.001-08:00

USI host an annual lobby of the Oireachtas. This year we held it in the first semester as opposed to semester 2, which had been the tradition. The Lobby is a useful tool in getting the USI message out on certain topics. Our main topics for discussion yesterday were:

1. The Registration Fee
2. Grants
3. Quality
4. Staff Moratorium
(Visit www.usi.ie for the lobby document)

The day went very well; we have well over half the members of the Oireachtas turn up. The informal setting adds to the occasion and many frank discussions were had between members and USI and College SU representatives. Again Mayo had all 5 TDs attend the Lobby, an interesting fact that is rarely mentioned. Enda Kenny was the only party leader to attend the Lobby but we have many other representatives from across the political spectrum attend.

The members who are more in tune with current trends within the higher education sector were very eager to discuss issues, in particular the issue of quality, with us and were all very helpful in giving ideas on how to forward our agenda of student participation within the quality mechanism.

It was a pretty long day, with the first member coming at 8am, the last to leave was at 7.40pm, all in all and exhausting day for all involved. Buswells were perfect hosts for the day and ensured that we had ample amounts of tea, coffee, biscuits and sandwiches for the parliamentarians so they had no excuse for not attending!

With the high numbers attending (and the front of the Irish Times stating that there was more students in the country than farmers) indicates that third level education is something which our political class (some people have issues with this word – but I think you can get the meaning of the sentiment) is now comfortable discussing and indeed recognising the role of the student within the process.

We took many excellent photos on the day and in due course they will be available on our website.

So now let’s hope that this will be seen as an important date along the road to achieving the goals set out in our lobby document!

A job that leaves no time to settle in!

2009-07-07T08:30:00.000-07:00

Almost a week in at this stage, and it was one busy experience. The minister of education is bringing his proposals to cabinet and I've been on loads of radio shows doing interviews on fees. It's been really tiring but tomorrow we have loads of officers coming to HQ from the colleges to discuss our campaign and we wil be doing a protest / photo op outside the dail at 4pm.

Unfortunately, the family dog, Leo, died today - so i'm a bit upset about that, but alas another interview to be done for tomorrows news!

I am attaching an article I wrote for a student newspaper when I was Western Area Officer. It is as relevant now as it was months ago and deals with the HECS model of funding.

I have a good friend who is doing a postgraduate in NUI Galway who happens to be an aussie. I mentioned I was doing an article on the different systems of paying tuition fees that are being touted by certain sections of the media and indeed university presidents. She said "No, not the HECS model!" Thankfully she was able to explain the model to me as reading about the 'graduate tax' system was beginning to confuse me greatly. The University heads have stated that the Irish third level system has been chronically under funded for years. This is seen as an impediment to Irish colleges attaining an ideal of 'world class institutes'.

Now while this appears to be rhetoric befitting of persons who recently lobbied for a substantial pay-rise that accumulated in a salary higher than the Taoiseach, it is fundamentally correct. Students experience the under funding of the sector most, with students learning in overcrowded lecture halls, subjected to the allure of 1970's style science laboratories, even in some cases thecancellation of college courses.

The funding of the sector is vital to the well-being of the economy, especially in times when the economic outlook is not as favourable as it was the last time the question of fees was asked. So we look outward to see how other countries fund their third level systems. Jimmy Browne, NUIG President, is widely recognised as believing the best way forward is to introduce a form of graduate tax akin to the HECS model from Australia, while other presidents insist on full fees being introduced with the possibility of a loans system akin to the UK model.

Some of these models seem at the outset to be a fairly decent compromise for not paying outright fees. The graduate tax or a loan system would appear to be doable, yet on closer examination of the systems it would appear that they are not student friendly.

As recently as August 2008, the Australian National Students Union held a national day of action against the current system they use, the one we are looking at imitating. The National Union of Students in Australia asked for the government to reduce full fees at universities. Over 60 undergraduate degrees now cost over $100, 000. Universities can offer unlimited full-fee places which degrades any sense of fairness or accessibility to education. The Union also demanded that the government reduce HECS to more equitable levels. Australian students now pay the second highest fees in the OECD leading to students graduating with crippling levels of debt, up by 1100% since the 1990s.

The HECS system is one in which after graduating the graduate pays back through extra taxation the cost incurred of the degree. Once a graduate starts earning at a certain level the tax automatically kicks in.

The problems start when the Universities start increasing their prices for a degree, something which appears to be inevitable regardless of what system is used. This would lead to a longer period of repaying the costs.

My Australian friend was not enamored with the system, and even commented that should she return to Australia she would again have to start repaying the extra tax plus interest. She did not see it as a tax, but as a debt. The minister of Education states that only the rich should have to pay for education, with those whose parents income reaching a certain level paying fees.

In Australia if you have the money to pay off your HECS account after graduation you will receive a discount on the total amount, those that cannot must defer until they start earning, thus supporting those high earning families. The numbers of families whose combined incomes will be over the threshold (circa €100,000) for paying fees may also be small.

The University heads are pushing the agenda to have as many students pay fees in order to allow it to fund itself so the expectation is that the threshold figures will more than likely decrease, thus incorporating more middle class families. The issue of graduate tax creates many questions that remain unanswered. What rate should the tax be set? Should it be payable income or earnings? Should it apply retrospectively to current students?

When Ireland took the decision to introduce the free fees scheme the, UK took the opposing scheme, allowing fees to be charged by institutions. Students pay a contribution towards their tuition fees based on their parent income (circa £0-£1,250 a year), but the commencement of the highly contentious 'top-up' fees have dramatically increased the overall cost of college in the UK. Top-up fees basically allows Universities to charge students any amount up to £3,000, which naturally almost all Universities charge. A government run Student Loans Company loans the students the necessary money for college and students pay back theloan and tuition fees after graduation. According to Barclays bank, student debt in the UK will rise from just under £18,000 for students graduating in 2006 to £34,000 by 2010.

It is worth remembering that the Irish model of free tuition is not the only one of its kind in Europe. Countries across the continent ensure that third level education is free, from Scandinavia to Greece. In Finland for example; all Universities are public and free. By law, any teaching which leads to a degree must be provided free of charge to students.

Over the coming weeks it is likely that the debate on the fees issue will deepen and the public will have to consider if tuition fees were to be re-introduced; how much debt we are willing to push onto students to prop up our third level system.

Should we not be more willing to examine how countries continue to give students free fees without affecting their chances of becoming 'world class'? According to the QS world University Rankings, 9 in the top 300 are Swedish, 7 are Finnish, 4 are Danish, 4 are Norwegian. Ireland has 3. All are free fees Universities. The French college École Normale Supérieure in Paris, which, ranked at 26th, is the highest free fees college on the list, perhaps this is the type of college our country should look at and imitate before we throw away our current system. My Australian friend was in agreement.

Many thanks.......

2009-04-26T15:42:00.001-07:00
Thanks a million to the students who voted for me at the USI congress held in Bettystown. The week was fairly hectic and to be honest I was glad when it was over! Being back in Galway was a great way to spend the Easter, and being home in Tuam was really relaxing!

I am looking forward to starting my new term and working with the newly elected officers to deliver a great year for our students!

Thanks to all those who've helped me in the campaign and a big BIG go raibh mile maith agat to my friends and house mates, who have rarely seen me over the past two months!

P

True Colours, once revealed, are not always nice…..

2009-03-25T03:04:00.000-07:00
Well Batt O’Keefe has shown his true colours. Despite stating for months that any tuition fees would only affect those that could afford it, the Minister is considering allowing those that can afford to pay for the degree would get a 20% discount on the total cost.

So now, it would appear, that the rich will have to pay, along with those that can’t afford to pay it, the difference being the rich will get a cheaper degree. It is truly disgraceful. Such short sightedness will not yield the €70 million expected by the Dept of Education, this is a truly shocking claim. €350 million is what the government currently pay in lieu of tuition fees, so to imagine that the government would re-coup €70 million, or one fifth of what they currently spend is wrong and only serves to strengthen a weak argument that fees will bring money into the exchequer. Whoever the sources are that think this measure will bring in this amount should be named and shamed.

So Batt stays true to FF mantra. It was always unlikely that the Minister of Education would stay true to his word and only insist on the rich paying for education. The Irish Times are carrying the article today and contains inaccurate information, that if came from the Department of Education should be setting off alarm bells.

“The new regime is set to be introduced next year. However most students will not become liable to repay the cost of their tuition until at least 2013, three years after they graduate. The Government has still to decide on the level at which fees will be set.” http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0325/1224243368792.html

Now the maths do not add up here, the Minister has indicated that current students would not be liable to any change in the fee situation. So it would appear the class of 2013 will be the first to start repaying any type of graduate tax. Given that the article also notes that students will become liable for fees after graduation once their income reaches a certain level, you would wonder what the income level will actually be, and how low it will be if 2013 is the date in which the repayment is expected.

Batt was quoted yesterday as saying “A key consideration from my perspective will be that any scheme implemented does not place an unfair burden on students or their families or act as a disincentive to participation in higher education by those from less well-off backgrounds.”

It is getting much harder to believe the sentiment from this minister. Parents in particular should be worried about what this minister is planning, and parents should be planning for an uncertain future whereby their children may not get the opportunity to attend third level.

More Hypocrisy

2009-03-21T06:50:00.000-07:00
Thursdays (19March) Indo had two pages dedicated to third level issues, one dealt with the multi million Euro pay bonanza for university high flyers (page 10) while further on (page 30) the theme turned to students paying extortionate amounts through a graduate tax scheme.

Interestingly, the stories were kept apart from one another just to ensure that readers would not see the sheer gaul of university presidents stating how much in debt their universities are and therefore students must now pay, yet the 15 staff listed earned between EUR200,000 and EUR500,000. The EUR10million bonanza would require 2,000 students paying fees of EUR5,000 a year just to pay 40 staff! It is no wonder the system is in ‘deficit’ when these ‘top’ earners are earning up to fifteen (yes that’s 15) times the average industrial wage.

No mention of any pay cuts from these elites, despite notice from the Department of Education that they wish to cut staff numbers in the third level sector. It is disgraceful and boarders on the truly shameful, especially as it will, most likely, be the youngest (and sometimes better) junior lecturers will be the first to be targeted.

None of the IT sector staff or directors were written about in the article.

The graduate tax proposed by FG would see some students paying an extra EUR200 per month (if you are an Arts graduate) while if the student has a calling for any laboratory science, medicine, dentistry, veterinary etc the monthly charge will be a whopping EUR1,333. I really hope people don’t expect these students, after graduating, to be able to afford new cars, houses, any type of spending that could fix an ailing economy recover like our own. This short-sighted proposal is a graduate tax (but via PRSI as opposed PAYE).

The FG green paper also included ‘a new national technical university’ which is a term and ideal fed to the joint oireachtas committee on education last week from the heads of the IT sector. So again, no innovation or creativity here.

The education spokesperson Brian Hayes stated that he though it highly unlikely that graduates would leave the country to escape having to repay a graduate tax, which will come on top of higher taxes, a pension levy, an income levy and whatever other scheme the current crowd of incompetents will introduce.

NEWSFLASH - I’d leave. Brian Hayes is out of touch with the younger generation. Students will leave to find employment in countries that will pay the most for their skills, or get paid better within a lower cost economy. Being a young European, I know how easy it is to move across the continent, so Deputy Hayes is wrong.

Again Labour was awarded the bottom of the page and stated that they disagree with FG and that third level should be paid for by general taxation.

USI welcomed the fact that the proposals promote discourse about the third level sector, which is more than the current resident of Malborough Street is promoting.

Presentation to the Oireachtas Education Cmte

2009-03-12T11:43:00.000-07:00
here is the presentation I gave to the members of the joint oireachtas committee on education today. Myself and Shane got asked numerous and intelligent questions from the members and i'm sure these will be available online at www.oireacthas.ie.

The education committee agreed to send a letter to the minister asking him to consider putting fees as an agenda item for the new national strategy on education.

USI as an organisation are fundamentally opposed to the return of tuition fees under any guise. Our organisation is opposed to the commoditisation of education and believes fees would act as a barrier to third level education for many
students.

Investing in education is good for the learner and for society as a whole. The only barometer by which one should be measured, is potential, not ones potential to pay.

In 1996 tuition fees were abolished. Since then, Ireland has witnessed a surge in the numbers of students entering third level education. In 1980 this access rate stood at 20% of 17 - 18 year olds while in 2004 it had reached almost 55%. In the college year 2006 - 2007, there were 153,606 individuals in education in the Higher Education sector. The last thirteen years have seen a dramatic rise in the level of participation in tertiary education.

In 2008, the Higher Education Authority produced the National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education 2008 - 2013, designed to dramatically increase the numbers in further and higher education. The plan set a target of 72% for national participation by 2020 and at least 54% in each socio-economic group. Restricting access to third level education through the reintroduction of college fees will result in these ambitious targets not being reached.

It is apparent that a proposal on the re-introduction of college fees will be tabled for cabinet discussions within the next four weeks. We urge the government parties to examine all options of funding the sector before making a decision on student fees. It is our view that all stakeholders should come together and agree a long term funding model that will protect access while ensuring the funding requirement of the sector are met.

The cost of college in Ireland has been put at EUR38,000 for a four year degree, a figure which does not include the EUR600 increase in the registration fee increased in Budget 2009, which will make that average total over €40,000. The argument put forward that only those on higher incomes would pay fees has been proven false. Figures from the Minster of Education & Science’s economist show that, at most, it would raise less than EUR30 million per annum. This is before tax relief on tuition fees of 40% are included. Given the nature of the chronically underfunded tertiary sector, this amount will have no real financial impact and any potential benefit would be lost as thousands of students are forces out of Higher Education. If fees are introduced, they will have to be extended to all learners, as they simply would not raise enough money. This would completely undermine the OECD’s conclusion that Ireland is providing the most equitable access to higher education.

Visit the IDA website and you will see how important an educated Irish workforce is in attracting outside investment. The website boasts that the educational system in Ireland meets the needs of a competitive economy. The figures stated showing a decisive lead over countries that restrict the access of people to education through tuition fees; namely the UK and the US. Also, the organisation promotes Ireland’s higher educational achievement. Using this indicator, Ireland is markedly ahead of countries like the UK and Germany when it comes to the % of population that has attained at least tertiary education, in fact the Irish have double that of Germany.

The source of these figures: IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook, 2008.

Restricting our countries economic competitiveness during a recession would elongate the economic trouble for our country. Due solely to the free fees scheme, the IDA continually promote that the Irish skilled workforce of science and technology graduates in the 20 - 29 age group is twice that of the US and three times that of Germany.

Despite these figures and the obvious economic benefits of tertiary education, Ireland has consistently under spent in tertiary education. The OECD puts the average level of investment per student in tertiary education at $11,512 while in Ireland $10,468 is spent. In 2005, 1.2% of Gross Domestic Product went on further and higher education, down from 1.5% in 2000 and even less than in 1995. Graduates contribute an average of 70% more to the public exchequer through taxation, both direct and indirect, than those who do not attend further or higher
education. By raising our investment to OCED levels, we can stimulate knowledge, innovation and the economy. This can and should be done through progressive taxation, as this is how modern societies funds essential public services.

USI fears that college fees will stifle Ireland’s economic recovery and growth by restricting access and burdening graduates with large debts.

A version of tuition fees currently being examined is the Australian model HECS. The Higher Education Contribution Scheme (or HELP as it is known today - it has a better ring to it) is a graduate tax. Students have their fees paid for up front by the government and then pay back through extra taxation the amount owed. The Australian system has grown so complex that it needs circa AUS$5 billion to overhaul and comes as a response to a 272 page review of the system. HECS as a system is broken and flawed. Originally created to increase access, it has had the opposing affect.

The average student finishes university with a $12,000 debt, which takes about a decade to repay. Almost one-third of the multi-billion dollar HECS debt owed by university students has been written off by the Federal Government as a bad or doubtful debt. The figures, supplied through Australian Senate Estimates, predict that $2.9 billion of the $10.2 billion owed through the Higher Education Contribution Scheme for university fees is unlikely to be repaid.

This Tax is indexed at rate equal to the consumer price index. The tax is repaid through automatic deductions taken out using the same system as tax (PAYE) once over the minimum repayment threshold, which is currently just over $38,000 or €19,000 per year. After this threshold, a percentage of your entire salary is automatically deducted; not the amount above the threshold as happens for income tax. Unfortunately, many young Australians have no idea exactly how the repayment of this debt affects them day-to-day. Is this a loan that is easily paid off? How long will it take?

For someone earning $40,000 a year, which happens to be just over the repayment threshold, the “normal” take home pay is $2720 per month or $628 per week. The HECS repayments add up to an extra $133 per month, or $31 per week. The figures are downhill from here. Someone earning $50,000 per year has $229 per month ($53 per week) taken out; a salary of $60,000 means $310 per month or $72 per week is deducted. In other words, a 50% increase in pay means a 130% increase in the amount deducted. This means over a year the average graduate can have anywhere from 23% to 28% more taken out of their pay. The system is inequitable, as built into the system are provisions for those who can afford to pay upfront the cost of tuition fees get an overall reduction of 20% of the total cost, leaving those that cannot afford to pay higher taxes.

Many students will never earn enough to repay their loan. Young Australian graduates are finding it harder and harder to buy a home and start a family because of the very high levels of HECS debt that they have to endure. No research has been carried out to examine the impact that going into a large amount of debt at a young age has in the long term. Also, given the economic outlook, the expected earning potential for future graduates may be less than in the past but a HECS style debt incurred would increase.

Should a graduate tax system be implemented it would be upwards of a decade before any cost would be recouped by the state, so the argument that this system would be able to fund the sector is also flawed.

The model used in the UK is one of student loans, where a government back loans group loans the students the finance to attend college. The figures here are startling; More than 59,000 are in arrears, with bad debts standing at £162.5 million. Another 58,000 are behind with their repayments and are in danger of being considered a credit risk if they slip any further into arrears. 75% of students who default on their loans have dropped out of college and not completed their degree. More than half (53%) of students from families who work in manual jobs or are on benefits chose their university because it was close to home, as the costs associated with third level are too high.

Returning to The Irish case, fees would have a negative impact on student participation. Terri Scott, President of Sligo IT has stated “concern that current lack of information and negative speculation will negatively influence student recruitment and discourage those who have the potential to benefit from a third level education. Any sudden increase in fees would have a serious impact on IT Sligo”.

A recent USI survey showed that one in three students would not be financially able to pay fees. The possibility of summer work has been severely eroded and will leave many students struggling to make enough for the registration fee. Further concern is that the incoming students, who have not been consulted about this process, will effectively be sleepwalking into debt.

At a time of deep recession it is unfair that these students or their parents would not have sufficient time to examine how college fees would affect them or their future earning potential.

If changes were proposed for the senior cycle curriculum at second level, a period of two years notice would be given to ensure that students are accommodated. We ask that government take this into consideration when the proposals come before cabinet. We are also concerned that any decision on fees would undermine the Strategy group, set up by the Minister of Education and Science to investigate the third level sector.

All these systems do not increase participation in third level education but rather curtail it. USI fundamentally believes any return of fees would instigate a chain of events that would prevent potential students from attending college and with the proposed knowledge based economy the option of fees/loans should be dismissed.

Education must be the foundation upon which our future prosperity is built. This will require a focused and strategic plan, one that seeks long term sustainable solutions to solve the funding crisis that we currently face.

A short sighted knee jerk reaction will leave a generation of young people excluded from Higher Education.

Greens Vote to Reject Fees

2009-03-09T15:43:00.000-07:00
At the Green Party conference held at the weekend the Green Party rejected a motion that would support the re-introduction of fees with an indexed linked grant system and decided to support the motion calling for the Greens to reject the possible return of tuition fees. This reaffirms their pre election promises that third level fees was not going to have Green Party support.

According to Saturdays Indo, an apparent cabinet clash was on the cards over college fees. The Greens have insisted there is nothing in the agreed Programme for Government on bringing back fees, despite former Education Minister Mary Hanafin recently conceding that third level fees were now “firmly back on the agenda”. And to top the weekend off, Paul Gogarty has stepped down from his position as the Green Party education spokesman.

Fees are due before the cabinet in early April, it is allegedly going to be a single recommendation, with all indications that the Australian system is still being considered as a template.

It is time to rally as an organisation and as a group to state that we will not accept the re-introduction of college fees. Over the next few weeks, USI and local Student Unions will have to ensure our message reaches as many people as possible.

Education is the key to success. Our press maintains a slow and sustained push towards college fees by indicating that the fees are inevitable. I reject this wholeheartedly. USI has a seat on the new national strategy group for the sector and any decision brought about fees would completely undermine the group.

To finish - here are some interesting numbers and quotes about fees and fee related issues from around the globe:

Ireland, which as of 1996 no longer charges tuition fees, requires non-EU students to pay up to EUR 36,000 p.a., the highest in Europe.

In Australia, the average student finishes university with a $12,000 debt, which takes about a decade to repay, however the wealthy students who can afford to pay off the price of the cost of their course prior to starting it get a 20% reduction on the price.

In the UK, more than 59,000 students are in arrears in repaying their student loans, with bad debts standing at £162.5 million. Another 58,000 are behind with their repayments and are in danger of being considered a credit risk if they slip any further into arrears. 75% of students who default on their loans have dropped out of college and not completed their degree. More than half (53%) of students from families who work in manual jobs or are on benefits chose their university because it was close to home, as the costs associated with third level are too high.

In the US, numbers taking courses in sciences and engineering have nosedived due to the associated higher cost of these courses, leaving Richard W. Lariviere, provost and executive vice chancellor for the University of Kansas to state “We are seeing at this point purely anecdotal evidence. The price sensitivity of poor students is causing them to forgo majoring, for example, in business or engineering, and rather sticking with something like history.”

48. Placing of University of Copenhagen on 2008 THE-QS Worlds Top Universities list. €0. Price for Danish to attend the University. Ranked ahead of renowned and fee paying institutes like the University of Aukland, London School of Economics, Darthmouth College and the Universities of Washington and California.

55%. The rise in pay for Irish University presidents granted in 2007.

NUIG students Vote

2009-03-06T05:26:00.000-08:00
NUIG has voted! The college is the only one in the country which has put the question of the next president of USI to its students via popular vote. I was overjoyed that the college decided to back myself and feel that given the students decided who should get NUIG’s votes makes these votes special.

It was a vote for positively and positive campaigning. It was a vote for a better future of USI. It was a vote for their union. Most importantly they decided who was best to lead the organisation. Over 2,000 students now have had some interaction with USI via this election. This is a wonderful achievement and despite a long day, the interaction with the students was, as usual, fruitful!

Asking the question ‘do you know USI?’ may sometimes be wrong standalone question. Rather, I found, it is more important to see whether the students have had any involvement with any of USI organised events or campaigns. The students may not know who organises them but if they have attended or at least heard of them means USI have a starting position. USI is on campus via campaigns and events, so it is important that the organisation creates a better image for itself so that students make the link. We are mandated to seek advice from media specialists to achieve this and, if I become president, this will be amongst the very first tasks I will achieve. It is important that the other students who didn’t vote yesterday are also asked why they didn’t vote. It is only when we start communicating with all sectors of the student population will we get a unified union. Unity is strength after all!

Strength is needed to fight / stop / halt Minister O’Keefe’s proposal to cabinet. As I have noted, this will take place during the first week of April and I fear it will coincide with the ‘mini budget’ that is also to take place around the same time. USI have asked the Minister for a round table (and I’m sure frank) discussion on fees before then. I have already talked about the graduate tax system - which I think is a farce and will not see any revenue for at least a decade after it is brought in. Student loans, another system I’m sure the department are looking at, has not done any favours to the British exchequer. According to yesterdays Telegraph paper the British system of loans has also failed to recoup many millions of pounds from students from students who now are abroad. We are talking in the region of £130 million pounds. Seems like an awful lot. Seems like even more during a recession.

It is this nonsense that USI and all Student Unions need to bring to the media’s attention.
Over the next few weeks the colleges in the West will be flooding the media with opinion pieces, letters and articles about fees. Our MAFs organisation will be running in two weeks time. We are holding mini style lobbys of TD’s in the Western region.

Tempus Fugit

Unity is Strength

2009-03-04T16:54:00.000-08:00
Unity is strength or so the USI motto goes! Hustings is over in NUIG and with the small turnout remaining to see the USI hustings, this motto came to mind.

Where USI falls down is the lack communication with our members. It is only when USI is united will our government really take our concerns to heart. Why do we never ask the question ‘why was the student who didn’t turn up for a meeting/march/occupation not here’? At the hustings we were asked about non-affiliates. With this question I asked myself ‘what about re-affiliating or re-energising our own members, especially the ones who do not engage with us?’

One in three students in the West will not be able to afford college if fees are brought in. One in three versus unity is strength. Unless the student base is sufficiently energised enough by our union, the apathy which has eroded student involvement threatens to dismantle our union. We must connect with these students, these students must be informed of any issue which may affect them.

In the interests of being fair, I can say that for the first few years of my college experience at NUIG I was ignorant to many of the issues. I had a life outside of the traditional college life and I saw no need to engage in anything on campus. I feel USI must broaden its message into the cities and regions of our members. This can be done by hosting events like the upcoming MAFS (mammies against fees) meetings in the western region or like the grant information evening that I co-ordinated in Galway city in late August. This was a massive success with hundreds of people turning up making myself and the sabbaticals from NUIG and GMIT work very hard for a couple of hours. These are a number of ways to get out and connect with students in a different manner. Our union is big enough to come up with other ways too.

Only when USI gets its important message out to our students will it have unity and it is in this unity that the organisation will find strength. Student marches across the country over the past number of months have been ‘well attended’. We need to ask ourselves why about 2000 students came to the march in Galway City (apart from the rain and all associated misery) or why the National march was not significantly bigger than the Dublin march. USI claims to have hundreds of thousands of members. Re-energising this base would create a stronger student movement and is something USI must address. It is on a parity with our other serious issue - the re-introduction of third level fees.

Perhaps a way forward is USI running a campus wide week long meet and greet session, whereby the officers go in to as many class addresses as possible and give a short statement on USI and why the students should care (I.e. because they pay for it) - hitting the biggest classes in as many colleges with as many USI officers as possible also has the potential for us to say to the media, politicians and other lobby groups ‘USI has consulted with 100,000 members this week’. The possible bang from this statement should not be underestimated.

We can do this - but we must start now. Apathy is eroding our power with students and it is something I feel we must counter. Unity is strength. One in three students. If the one third who are lost because they never engaged, never fought then we have failed as a union.

Student Fees still in the melting pot

2009-03-04T04:21:00.000-08:00
According to todays Irish indo the department of education are still researching the student fees issue. They have some new research from Australia. According to the article "It is generally believed that the new third level fees structure in Ireland will be sculpted along the lines of the Australian model of 'deferred' loans, which allows students to delay repayment of their loans until they are employed and earning a certain level of income" - so according to the Indo the decision has been made - i better tell the cabinet they are off the hook!

Seriously, this development of an 'Irish model which is being tailored to Irish circumstances' amounts to nothing more than an extra tax, a graduate tax. The Australian model is widely believed to have created more problems for the Aussie government than ever anticipated. Our shower here have recieved a new report which, over the course of 272 pages, requests a whopping 46 new recommendations for a major overhaul of this loans scheme. This is the system we are trying to copy?!! Am I the only one seeing a major problem with this?

Yesterday, the government released poor fiscal figures for the first two months of the year, we are €2bn behind where we were envisaged to be. Enda Kenny on RTE's Morning Ireland stated that the figures he recieved from the Department of Finance this morning, the Government would need to find €5bn in spending cuts and tax increases. The overhaul of the Australian system that appears to be the favoured approach for student fees will cost the Australian Government an estimated $5.7 billion!

For anyone saying that this form of student fees / tax is there to get us out of an economic blackspot is naive and needs to think it through. If this system is brought back - current students are unlikely to be affected (afterall our current free education costs €1500 to access) but rather the incoming second level students. Given that the majority of college courses take 4 years to run and given the poor chances of graduates getting employment strainght after graduating - why aren't people asking - when will we get a return from this system? Its very basis is flawed. Students, as they do in Australia, will leave the country after graduation to find work in other coutries where having a degree does not penalise you.

Batt O'Keefe and his department do not give me any reasoning to believe that anything they will produce will be fair and just, take a look at the savage cuts they have made to the primary level education in this country. The cabinet must defer any decision on fees when it is brought to the cabinet table. Any snap decision by cabinet would end up hurting our 'knowledge based economy'. The government has been well served by the graduates who have graduated under the free fees scheme. It is time for the government to bail out the knowledge bank in this country i.e. us - the young people, who undoubtedly will be left with a high tax regieme for the rest of their working lives due to the incompetence of the government.

Starting up the campaign!

2009-03-04T03:55:00.000-08:00
How ye!

The campaign has duly started and here is my blog! Basically what i want to do is flesh out the ideas behing my manifesto and give an idea as to how the Union can progress while giving an idea of how i would work the organisation to get results!

Stay tuned!