A whole of government approach is needed to bring down the financial barriers preventing students from progressing to higher education, according to Social Democrats education spokesperson Jen Cummins.<\/p>\n
Deputy Cummins said:<\/p>\n
\u201cLast year saw a decline in students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds progressing to colleges and universities – the gap in educational inequality is widening.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is typified by 59% of Deis school students going on to third-level in 2025, compared to 64% in 2024, which is particularly stark in light of an increase of students going to college from fee-paying schools in September.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese stats from the Irish Independent\u2019s Feeder School report only capture a narrow measurement of success; they don\u2019t include students who move on to third level institutions abroad, or to PLCs , apprenticeships and other forms of further education.<\/p>\n
\u201cSuccess means different things for different people – it is not a normative concept, and should not be treated as one.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe cost of living crisis, defined by unassailable rents and house prices, skyrocketing grocery prices and runaway energy bills, has left many families with no other choice but to rely on charity assistance for educational costs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWorse still, more and more families are forced to make the decision to withdraw from further education due to the financial barrier to entry.<\/p>\n
\u201cToo many middle income families are being cut off from SUSI and other grants which would enable their children to study at third level – as inflation continues to rise, grants must be adjusted accordingly so that nobody misses out.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor those students who require rental accommodation to attend their chosen course, the situation has become completely untenable – a lack of viable rental options and eye-watering monthly rates keep anyone but the the very wealthy from student accomodation\/<\/p>\n
\u201cThese struggles are felt particularly strongly in rural areas, where third level institutions are more scarce – many rural students have no option but to attend colleges and universities in cities far away from their family home.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn a meeting with Aontas na Mac L\u00e9inn in \u00c9irinn, formerly known as the Union of Students in Ireland (USI), I was informed that countless students are now travelling over two hours each way just to attend lectures – this is unsustainable.<\/p>\n
\u201cMinister for Higher Education James Lawless said that Budget 2026 would provide \u201cpermanent support for students and their families,\u201d and drive \u201creal, lasting change\u201d – this is a delusional take which shows a complete lack of empathy for the thousands of students who are forced from education or must make dire sacrifices to continue.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the Minister is serious about improving access to higher education, he must make it clear to his colleagues in government that the cost of living crisis must be tackled on every front, as well as get his own house in order regarding student costs.\u201d<\/p>\n
January 14th, 2026<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A whole of government approach is needed to bring down the financial barriers preventing students from progressing to higher education, according to Social Democrats education spokesperson Jen Cummins. Deputy Cummins said: \u201cLast year saw a decline in students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds progressing to colleges and universities – the gap in educational inequality is widening. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":11586,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[218,581,7,771],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15042","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","category-jen-cummins","category-press-release","category-third-level-fees"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n