Minister Lawless engages with students and stakeholders on reducing the cost of education
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Ó: An Roinn Breisoideachais agus Ardoideachais, Taighde, Nuálaíochta agus Eolaíochta
- Foilsithe: 3 Aibreán 2025
- An t-eolas is déanaí: 12 Aibreán 2025
Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science James Lawless and Minister of State at the Department Marian Harkin will today attend the annual Cost of Education event to engage with students and stakeholder groups on the financial challenges facing learners and potential measures to address them.
The event will bring together approximately 150 attendees, including students from higher education, further education and apprenticeships, their student union bodies, further and higher education institutions, and representative bodies.
Speaking today, Minister Lawless said:
"Engaging directly with students and stakeholders is essential to understanding the real challenges they face. This event provides a platform to ensure their voices are heard and their priorities discussed.
"The government is committed to making education more affordable. There have been significant changes in recent years to bring down the cost of further and higher education.
"This has included increasing student maintenance grants by an average of 47% over the term of the last government and increasing the number of SUSI recipients by almost 10%. I want to build on this over the coming years.
"My goal for this consultation event will be to identify how to ease financial pressures for all students across all sectors. My department is focused on ensuring that education is accessible to all. I am hopeful that the discussion will generate constructive, practical proposals for consideration as we examine the options to support students during the budgetary process."
Minister of State Marian Harkin said:
"It is vital that students have a voice in shaping the policies that affect them. This annual event has proven invaluable in identifying key priorities and informing decisions that make a real difference."
As part of the Funding the Future policy, the upcoming options paper will set out potential measures to further reduce the cost of education, including estimated costs of reducing the student contribution fee and enhancing student support, which will be considered as part of the budgetary process in the autumn.
Notes
On 4 May 2022, Funding the Future, the government's policy on the future of higher education was launched.
The policy sets out the vision and direction of higher education funding, our commitment to addressing legacy issues in higher education and detailing our ambitious plans for investment and reform.
Further details are available at Future Funding in Education.