Carol Nolan: Student Rents Are Pricing Bright Students Out of College
Carol Nolan addressed third level education, warning that high student accommodation costs are acting as a barrier to college access and deepening educational inequality. She called for the re-establishment of the Education Disadvantage Committee and urged ministers to adopt a new, imaginative approach after citing a Higher Education Authority report.
Student accommodation as a barrier
The deputy emphasised that the price of student accommodation is effectively excluding many prospective students from taking up college places. She argued that millions in supports are futile if students are priced out of attending third level institutions.
Proposal to revive the Education Disadvantage Committee
She urged the immediate re-establishment of the Education Disadvantage Committee established under the 1998 Education Act, saying it once led to initiatives such as the DASH initiative and delivered good value for money. She said she raised the matter with the minister on the Education Committee earlier in the week.
HEA report on socioeconomic patterns in higher education
She referred to the Higher Education Authority's report, A Spatial and Socioeconomic Profile of Higher Education Institutions in Ireland, noting it concludes that students from less well off backgrounds and areas continue to face systematic social and class disadvantage within the education system. She described the report as deeply disturbing and indicative that little progress has been made in widening access.
Call for a new, imaginative response from ministers
The deputy said both ministers in the department must accept that a new and imaginative approach is needed to break the cycle of disadvantage and ensure equal opportunities in education. She framed the issue as one that translates educational barriers into long-term economic inequality.
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Ciancóirleach, Taaitha Siram Lourth, Sean Seat A Noct. I want to start by saying that we're here to discuss mainly third level education in the round, but I do want to raise the challenges that are facing many students in terms of the price of student accommodation, which is effectively acting as a barrier for many, many students, that they just can't take up places in college. And I think we do need to get to grips with that, because as I say, it is excluding students, bright students, gifted students, and we need to make sure that we have legislation in place to overcome all of that. Government can announce millions in support and measure after measure to assist college students, but all of that will be purely academic, pardon the pun, if people are priced out of even going to college. That is why we must return again and again to the core issue of educational inequality and disadvantage. I have already called on the Minister earlier this year to make immediate provision for the re-establishment of the Education Disadvantage Committee, which was set up under the 1998 Education Act. It did fantastic work. It was good value for money, and they led to many initiatives coming into play that we know today, such as the DASH initiative, and I feel that that really needs to be looked at. I know I did raise it with Minister Foley on the Education Committee earlier in the week, but I do think that that would afford many students the opportunity of breaking out of that cycle of disadvantage and ensuring that they have equal opportunities in this Republic. Already we have had the Higher Education Authority's newly released report titled A Spatial and Socioeconomic Profile of Higher Education Institutions in Ireland. That report concluded that students from less well off backgrounds and geographical areas continue to experience significant and systematic levels of social and class disadvantage within our education system. The report by the HEA makes for deeply disturbing reading in the sense that we seem to have learned nothing over the past number of years when it comes to increasing the educational opportunities for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. These are challenges that are being faced by students at educational level and are being translated into deep, highly unequal economic divisions. Both ministers in the department must now accept that a new and imaginative approach is needed. Go raibh maigat. Go raibh maigat. Go raibh maigat. Go raibh maigat. Go raibh maigat. Go raibh maigat. Go raibh maigat. Go raibh maigat. Go raibh maigat. Go raibh maigat. Go raibh maigat. Go raibh maigat. Go raibh maigat. Go raibh maigat. Go raibh maigat. Go raibh maigat. Go raibh maigat. Go raibh maigat. Go raibh maigat. Go raibh maigat. Go raibh maigat. Go raibh maigat. Go raibh maigat.
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