Student Strike

dublin | education | event notice Thursday March 19, 2009 10:40 by UCDSU - UCD Students' Union

The shutdown will consist of a student strike and activities on campus against fees.

One Day Education Shut Down Against Fees – As voted for by the Students of UCD
Monday, March 30th

We will be staging a Rally at the Lake in UCD at 1pm

"If you think education is expensive, try ignorance" - Some Reasons to be Against Fees, loans and Graduate Tax

1) Education is not just a personal good. It can and does benefit all of society.
2) In a world where access to employment is dependent on having high levels of education, education is a right and not a privilege
3)There is no evidence that fees or loans would introduce better education services or infrastructure - The government will use it to reduce university funding
4) There has been no relative increase in higher education in Australia for lower income groups since graduate tax was introduced.
5) According to various surveys, since graduate tax was introduced in Australia, it has had a direct effect on the subject choices of a large number of students. Subject choice should be based on merit, not means.
6) In the UK, the current cap on fees is being dropped meaning students will have to pay the full economic value for their courses. This is likely to happen here if fees and loans are introduced.
7) The very wealthy should pay for education - but the fairest system is a fair taxation system

Funding an equitable education system pays back in so many ways, but making cuts in the wrong places can cause irreparable damage. We must ensure that both the quality and cultural value of our education system is protected while at the same time, ensuring people from all walks of life have equal access to educational opportunities.