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TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 3 November
Government to provide extra higher education places with reduced fees Kate Henshaw Staff Writer
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INISTER FOR Further and Higher Education, R e s e a r c h , Innovation and Science Simon Harris announced last Tuesday funding for 14,000 places in higher education that will be made available without fees, or with reduced fees. This funding will serve to support the provision of 11,597 places in short, modular courses and an additional 2,555 places in postgraduate courses. The funding for the 2,555 postgraduate places will be open to those returning to the workforce, those in employment and recent graduates. These places will be on 207 courses in 23 public and private higher education institutions. Individuals who are receiving Social Welfare Payments, including those receiving the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) will be eligible to undertake courses without paying
fees. The places are to be available across a range of skills areas including data analytics, environmental sciences, engineering, tourism and hospitality, information and communications technology and health and welfare. Speaking to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) Harris said that the courses “will form a further response to the impacts of the global pandemic, providing upskilling and reskilling places for those who have been most affected and ensuring that they have the skills most needed by employers today”. Back in September, Harris announced that a further 2,225 places in higher education were being made available in high demand courses, such as nursing and law, following the highest leaving certificate grades being given to students this year. Later, an error in the calculated grades system resulted in additional places being made available in higher education courses in October.
Sinn Féin says 35% of students expected their course to be entirely online Connie Roughan Contributing Writer
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TUDENTS HAVE expressed feelings of having been “misled into securing accommodation” despite the move of most learning online in a new report published by Sinn Fein. Sinn Féin Higher and Further Education Spokesperson Rose Conway-Walsh has published the results of the Sinn Féin Student Accommodation Survey 2020. The survey of 329 students emphasised the financial effects of fixed-term contracts and online education on third-level students facing a transition to online education. Among the small sample size of students surveyed, students reported their courses were on average more than 80% online prior to the move to a state-wide level 5, with 35% of students surveyed stating they expected their courses to be completely online - prior to the move to a state-wide Level 5. The majority of the students surveyed reported issues
with online teaching. Various accounts in the survey’s findings supply evidence of lecturers not providing the contact hours that they are timetabled for, whether due to technological difficulties or inaction. The report notes that students took on accommodation contracts on the basis of university and government indications that inperson classes would still occur. The survey by the opposition party Sinn Féin claimed that students felt they were “misled into securing accommodation” for this academic year. Until the announcement on September 25 that only essential laboratories and tutorials were to take place on campuses, classes under 50 were allowed. Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris advised students to reconsider leaving home and moving into student accommodation. A student is quoted in as saying it was “ridiculous” that the government suggested that students reconsider moving when many had already signed leases. The report noted that some students have not received refunds for accommodation they had to leave early in March.
TCDSU to call on College to halt international student fee increases The union is now mandated to lobby for lower fees for non-EU students Shannon Connolly News Editor
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RINITY COLLEGE Dublin’s Students’ Union (TCDSU) Council is now mandated to lobby against fee increases for international students, after the passing of a motion on Tuesday evening proposed by international students. The motion presented to Council centered on international students’ fees, mandating the union to support international students to reduce their fees, while the second called for a reduction in all students’ fees given the reduced access to campus facilities this academic year. The motion regarding international students comes as non-EU students pay nearly three times as much as EU students, with these fees subject to a 3-5% increase annually. The motion cited the pandemic as a time to reexamine the fairness of these rates. Speaking at the Council, Rucha Benare said that international students need support “now more than ever”, with Julia Bochenek adding that with tuition raising again this year, it has been “working against” their college experience. Bochenek added that the motion is asking the international students to be added to the Union of Students’ (USI) campaign to reduce EU fees.
Speaking to Trinity News about why she proposed the motion, proposer Rucha Benare said: “We have put this motion forward because it is high time the university formally recognises the ever-increasing difficulties international students have to face to get an education overseas.” She continued: “We have seen amazing support from some of the officers from the Union and hope that the Union in its entirety will help establish more reliable and sufficient lines of communication to help international students on a case-by-case basis so no student is lost in this ever tangential chaos.” “Moreover, we wish to get non-EU students included in the ongoing movement for lowering of the EU fees.” Evan Rork urged the council originally to vote against the motion due to “failure to acknowledge the lack of engagement from the SU with international students”. He then asked a procedural motion to be added to the proposed motion, however that will be delayed until a later date. With the passing of the motion, the union is mandated to lobby against the annual 3-5% increase in non-EU fees. Benare went on: “Regardless of their EU status, every student should be entitled to having a good academic future (which now seems bleak due to ever-increasing tuition fees during a global pandemic).” The motion further stated that more support is needed for international students in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic and restrictions, mandating the union President and International Student Officer to ensure that there is “adequate provision of information” to students by College, including the planned methods of teaching for the rest of the academic year.
Council also mandated that the union president lobby to ensure that support for students is made readily available by College on a case-by-case basis, relating to difficulties such as travel status to other countries and finances. Another motion relating to fees was delayed due to President Eoin Hand suggesting further consideration be made to the motion before putting it to a vote. The second motion on fee reduction was proposed by two senior fresh class representatives, and calls for TCDSU to circulate a petition on the reduction of fees in general. This motion was discussed but moved to a later date to pass. Dillon Broaders, SF Physical Sciences Class representative, who proposed the motion said that it was “unfair to force students to pay full fees” during the Covid-19 crisis, and that the pandemic is “no excuse to exploit students”. Broaders added that “250 euro is good but not good enough” in the reduction of fees. Leah Keogh, TCDSU Welfare Officer, also added that she was “fully behind the sentiment of this motion.” This motion was discussed but moved to a motion K by President Eoin Hand, as he also supported the sentiment of this motion, but believed several changes could be made to it before passing the motion. The motion noted that student access to facilities is severely restricted due to the ongoing pandemic and that fees have not decreased to reflect this. Council voted that the union adopt a formal stance on the issue in favor of lowering college tuition, and that the President establish a petition on the subject. TCDSU Council took place last week over Zoom. Additional reporting by Adam Balchin and Kate Henshaw