The Irish Congress of Trade Unions has supported calls for a publicly-funded higher education system heard today at a demonstration organised by the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) and supported by trade unions in the education sector and union youth committees.
Speaking ahead of today's demonstration Congress Official and convenor of the Education Sector Committee, Liam Berney said: "Congress believes that moving to a fully publicly funded system is the most equitable and sustainable option for students and those who work in the sector.
"A publicly-funded system and a clear funding strategy for the sector would help provide certainty for students and educators alike. It would also avoid creating enormous future debt burdens for students, as has been the experience in other jurisdictions," he said.
Such a system would also ensure public control and oversight of the contribution of the higher education sector to the longer-term economic and social development of the country.
"As major beneficiaries of the higher education system, Congress believes that employers should contribute more – as recommended by the Cassells Report – through an increase in the National Training Fund Levy to a level of €700 million annually," Mr Berney concluded.
Read the Congress response to the Cassells Report on Funding for Higher Education
