Ms Clare Austick:

A chairde, I thank the Chairperson and members of the joint committee for this opportunity today. I am the president of the Union of Students in Ireland, which is the national student representative body for students in third level education. Our core mission has always been to protect access to third level education. At every single opening I give, I must remind people that education is a right and not a privilege. However, the continual marketisation of education threatens how it is viewed and has only served to heighten existing barriers to third-level education. I must emphasise how much USI welcomes that future funding of higher education is being looked at and reviewed. For far too long, many students have been priced out of a third level education and did not get to excel in the ways they should have. We can certainly change how the future funding of higher education goes, going forward.

To fully begin the conversation, we cannot overlook the largest barrier in student access to education, which is the student contribution charge. We want to see an immediate reduction in the fees, with a commitment to sustainably funding the higher education sector through a publicly funded higher education model. If we really value our education system so much then we must act on our words. The State must be responsible for funding the system to the levels required to ensure high quality education for all students. To highlight just how bad it has become, I note that approximately 50% of the funding of Irish universities is private funding. This is the highest in the European Union and is the second highest in Europe. According to the OECD, Ireland invests just 0.8% of GDP in tertiary education, which is well below the 1.5% of the OECD average. How can Ireland prides itself on its education system when it is way below average?

In addition, the current student-staff ratio in Ireland is among the highest in the EU, and a minimum investment of €147.48 million per annum is required to bring Irish higher education institutions in line with international best practice of a ratio of 15:1.

The USI strongly believes that publicly funded education is the most equitable way to ensure that this increased funding is delivered. The onus should not be on existing or future students to prop up a crumbling sector, rather the State should provide support to the future workforce of our country. The future expansion of technological universities certainly poses logistical challenges. As institutes of technology across different geographical locations merge, investment in public transport links is crucial. Students must be able to access all buildings, resources and supports in campuses across the country. We must address the lack of public transport infrastructure available in rural areas in particular. Post merge, technological universities must also be supported, as the entire integration process can take a long time. They should be supported in building affordable, purpose-built, student accommodation.

Universal design for learning, UDL, played a critical role in online assessment and teaching during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, outside the Covid-19 classroom, UDL serves as an important tool to help combat barriers students with disabilities face in both learning and social environments. UDL is critical in increasing awareness of barriers to participation and supports that a student may need. USI believes that the Government should provide funding to higher education institutions for training on UDL principles and guidance on a national framework to try and support colleges to integrate those principles into the entire teaching and learning environment.

Equity of access to higher education is a core component of the work of USI. Existing financial support structures are not optimal and they are not fit for purpose. There have been significant cuts to the Student Universal Support Ireland, SUSI, grant over the last decade. We fully believe that the student grant scheme is a huge opportunity to support students to access education and to progress their entire learning journey. We welcome the review that is being carried out, but funding must be provided to fully implement the recommendations that emerge. It is important to note the knock-on effect of a stagnant student grant scheme that is deaf to inflation and higher costs of living. It affects many people, such as disadvantaged and low-income families, engaging in part-time or full-time employment which may lead to students being unable to complete their studies satisfactorily. Similarly, international students experience many financial hardships, as they are often seen as cash cows to prop up an underfunded system. We cannot ignore postgraduate students either. We must ensure there is a national stipend in line with the living wage for research postgraduates, which would enhance engagement in research and encourage the involvement of more postgraduate researchers of diverse backgrounds.

Finally, I want to touch on student mental health and well-being supports. Student mental health and well-being is a fundamental element to the overall student experience. Worryingly, student mental health has worsened in recent years, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. We call for the implementation of the recommendations of the student mental health and suicide prevention framework. Sustainable core funding must be invested annually in support services for student mental health on campus.