ITT Students Union President, Ben Slimm.
IT Tralee students attended a rally on Wednesday afternoon with The Union of Students in Ireland together with lecturers, college staff, trade unions and secondary students, in advance of next week’s budget announcements.
The rally comes as it emerged that many students in Tralee have applied for a fund to assist students who are in financial difficulty, according to the college’s Student’s Union President, Ben Slimm.
Mr Slimm said that the Students Assistance fund was supported by the EU and the government initially but the government pulled out of the fund a couple of years ago leaving it underfunded.
Thousands of students including a large delegation from the IT Tralee SU marched from the Garden of Remembrance, through the streets of Dublin to a rally outside the houses of the Oireachtas.
The rally was the latest action in USI’s campaign to protect student supports and have education recognised as a public good.
“Education is the corner stone of our society,” said IT Tralee SU President Ben Slimm, ahead of the rally.
“Without education we would not have doctors, nurses, legal representatives, and teachers to name but a few. It is our belief that Education is a public good and should not be commoditised by the government.
“Tralee benefits from hosting students in many ways, from accommodation to the money they spend in our local community. IT Tralee SU would be particularly concerned about the cuts to Back To Education Allowance and the grant as we have one of the largest mature student ratios in the country. These are local Tralee and Kerry people who are attempting to better themselves and their families through education, and we believe they should be protected,” said Mr Slimm.
USI have outlined their key calls to government. They are:
“• Protect student supports – the student maintenance grant and the Back to Education Allowance are vital pillars in ensuring access to college for thousands of students and reskilling workers
• Secure a commitment by the government not to introduce any deferred payment scheme (loans or graduate tax)
• Secure investment in purpose-built student accommodation to ease the housing crisis in Dublin and other college towns
• Return the €25m withheld from colleges in two previous budgets.”
