# Students
Last month
February 2023
# leaving cert reform
Plans for LC students to sit Paper 1 at end of fifth year to be deferred
The interim measure led to controversy with teachers’ unions and students.
Last year
2022
# Third Level
Government to part-fund 700 student beds to be let at reduced rates under new plans
Higher Education Minister Simon Harris is proposing partially funding the construction of student accommodation for three colleges.
# Students
Black night for Harps but UCD's bid for survival goes on
Finn Harps lost 3-1 to UCD this evening.
# money mules
Over €12 million was illegally transferred by 'money mules' in the first half of 2022
A money mule is a person who allows their bank account to be used for the transfer of another person’s stolen or illegal money.
# factcheck
FactFind: How much does it cost the State to train a doctor in Ireland?
Figures cited online range can vary by hundreds of thousands
# out the gap
Thousands of students stage walk-out from lectures in cost of living protest
The protest aims “to remind college authorities and politicians that students aren’t an endless money pit”.
# Housing Crisis
French Embassy warns new arrivals of 'severe housing crisis' and 'sharp rent increases'
It’s warned of ‘sharp increase in rents, which are currently much more expensive than in Paris’.
# back to college
Students that use private bus companies to have fares cut by 50%
The Young Adult Card and Student Leap Card fare initiative is being extended to the commercial bus sector.
# Budget supports
'Significant intervention is needed': Coalition leaders to meet to discuss rising energy costs
Minister for Energy Eamon Ryan will bring a memo to Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting setting out a series of options.
# accommodation fraud
Students warned about rental scams as accommodation crunch hits for new academic year
Over €290,000 has been stolen this year, gardaí said.
# Housing
3,000 Ukrainians will have to leave student accommodation by the end of the month
Student beds are being provided by a number of universities as well as private providers.
# Leaving Cert
College lecturers facing admin 'Groundhog Day' due to late release of Leaving Cert results
First year students in most colleges will be starting term several weeks late due to the late release of CAO offers.
# Students
Parents' group accuse Foley of 'kicking the ball down the road' on 2023 Leaving Cert
The CSSPA, which represents parents from over 340 schools, says students will be ‘hugely disadvantaged and unfairly
treated’.
# Investigation
Nearly 80 students allege they were conned out of cash by international travel agency
Gardaí in Dublin are investigating.
# j1
Students blast travel company USIT over lengthy delays to J1 applications
Many of the company’s customers are still waiting for their visas, with their flight dates just weeks away.
Many students going on a J1 with travel company USIT are still waiting to receive their visa, with their flight dates just weeks away, reports Emer Moreau
They're unsure when they'll be able to travel to the US, and therefore can't secure accommodation or tell their employers when they can start working
Students pay USIT up to €1,100 to organise their trip, including setting up mandatory interviews at the US Embassy in Dublin and liaising with US-based companies who sponsor those on the J1 scheme
# Third Level Education
No date yet for promised cut to student contribution fee, Harris says
The Higher Education Minister said the Government is firmly against “unfair” student loans.
# SUSI
Simon Harris plans to 'overhaul' student grant system
The minister is bringing proposals to the Cabinet today.
# phd students
Students who get Blind Pension to be included in law amending means-testing for PhD scholarships
The law, first brought in last year, aims to remove a barrier for PhD students who are disabled.
# Next Level
Over 20% increase in applications for courses related to the environment, new CAO figures show
There was a significant drop in the number of people seeking to study midwifery in 2022.
# Survey
Half of third-level students intervened in an incident of sexual violence or harassment - survey
Three in ten students said they did not feel well informed about intervening as a bystander.
# Leaving Cert
Second-level students union says 'traditional' State exams can't go ahead
Two teachers unions – the ASTI and the TUI – said speculation that State exams would not be held as usual was “unhelpful”.
All time
# Prolific
Ireland U21 striker Whelan named November's Player of the Month after netting 25 goals in 2021
The Kilkenny native helped the Students win promotion back to the top flight.
# Schools
Unmasked students should not be excluded from school, department advises
The CEO of the Irish Primary Principals’ Network said there have been “high levels of compliance” among children wearing masks.
# Students
UCD survive scare to see off Treaty comeback and seal promotion play-off spot
The Students now face Bray Wanderers at a neutral venue in two weeks’ time.
# spiked
Campaign to raise awareness around spiking to be launched, says minister
Minister Simon Harris says there have been a number of cases in the UK that are concerning.
# student options
There's a 'national obsession' with the points race, says Harris highlighting CAO changes
The new enhanced CAO website now includes Further Education and Apprenticeship options.
# dismissive comments
Taoiseach says Dublin City Council CEO Owen Keegan should withdraw comments on student housing
“I couldn’t believe it, I thought it was facile. I just didn’t understand the point he was making.”
# food banks
Colleges around the country say that some students are having to rely on food banks to get by
“These students are doing their best, but they’re just not able to make ends meet.”
UCC Students' Union food bank ran out of food in 50 minutes on Wednesday.
Volunteers say demand has spiked in the face of rent hikes and other living costs.
Students' representatives say it's a result of third level education being underfunded by the Government, writes Céimin Burke.
# change of use
Councils told that student beds must be for students unless there's a 'compelling' reason
There have been concerns about purpose-built student accommodation being used for other purposes.
# pop vaccine centres
Pop-up vaccination centres to open on college campuses
Paul Reid said that hospital numbers beginning to fall but intensive care numbers are rising.
# Leaders' Questions
Taoiseach says he doesn't want to see students staying in hotels due to lack of accommodation
The Taoiseach said a “close eye” will be kept on colleges and what they charge in for rent.
# Consent
9 in 10 teenage girls aged 15-17 agree consent is always required for sexual activity
The results of the new Consent Communication study by NUI Galway’s Active* Consent programme.
# Fraud
Gardaí receiving 'daily reports' of accommodation scams in which renters lose hundreds of Euro
Gardaí are advising students to be cautious of scams ahead of the new academic year.
# student visas
Criticism as international students told to enroll in a course to extend their visas
The Department of Justice has said that they will take a pragmatic approach to the situation.
# Recruitment
No medical students have been hired as vaccinators, despite Minister saying they were giving jabs at vaccine centres
The health minister said last month that he had met students administering vaccines.
# Students
University of Limerick has disciplined 'a number' of students following street party
Social media circulated videos in early March showed a largescale street party in the Castletroy area, adjacent to UL.
# Leaving Cert
Students who canvas teachers for improved Leaving Cert grades may have results withheld
The heads of a Bill approved today will put this year’s exams and accredited grades system on a legal footing.
# Students
Myanmar protesters defy curfew as media outlets ordered to shut
Students and other civilians took part in one of many daily protests across the country against the military’s seizure of power last month.
# vmdiff
'I handed in my dissertation on Monday - on Tuesday college was called off'
Students from Trinity College Dublin have made a documentary about their lives during the pandemic, which captures experiences from across the globe.
# Exams
Leaving Cert students say they are relieved with clarity and choice, but some issues remain
“I trust my teachers, but I don’t trust the algorithm,” one student said.
