The government\u2019s willingness to throw students under the bus by jacking up third level fees by \u20ac1,000 for the 2025\/26 academic year is further proof that Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael cannot be trusted, according to Social Democrats TD Jen Cummins.<\/p>\n
Deputy Cummins, who is the party\u2019s spokesperson on further and higher education, said:<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are now seeing a clear trend emerging, with several Fianna F\u00e1il ministers \u2013 and even the Taoiseach \u2013 signalling a return to the \u20ac3,000 student contribution fee for the year ahead.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Minister for Further and Higher Education, James Lawless, probably just said the quiet part out loud \u2013 that students and their families are set to be betrayed by this government in the upcoming budget.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday we heard Public Expenditure Minister Jack Chambers trot out the same tired old lines about the challenges facing Ireland due to US economic threats. However, this ignores the reality that President Trump\u2019s election pre-dates the programme for government commitment to reduce student fees.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is just the latest example of why this government, or its pre- and post-election commitments, cannot be trusted. We have already seen this with Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael\u2019s false claims that 40,000 homes would be built last year; the watering down of the Occupied Territories Bill; and the dilution of protections for renters dressed up as rent reform.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe panicked reaction of T\u00e1naiste Simon Harris to suggestions of college fee hikes speaks to the level of division, distrust and dysfunction within this government. Given the level of outrage, and their prior commitments, they must reverse this decision.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut students deserve more than being mere bargaining chips in another FF\/FG phoney war.<\/p>\n
\u201cMore than ever, they need to be supported in their educational journey at a time of an unparallelled housing emergency and cost of living crisis that continues to impact families the length and breadth of the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbove all, they deserve to be recognised in a programme for government that is more than just a work of fiction.\u201d<\/p>\n
July 1, 2025<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The government\u2019s willingness to throw students under the bus by jacking up third level fees by \u20ac1,000 for the 2025\/26 academic year is further proof that Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael cannot be trusted, according to Social Democrats TD Jen Cummins. Deputy Cummins, who is the party\u2019s spokesperson on further and higher education, said: \u201cWe […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":12900,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[218,581,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12899","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","category-jen-cummins","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n