Tá leagan Gaeilge thíos.

It is important that public representatives hear your voice before Budget 2025, which will be announced on 1 October 2024. 

Trinity, in partnership with the Irish Universities Association (IUA), is calling for a significant acceleration of government’s commitment to provide €307m in additional annual core funding for the sector, as well as provision for the funding of public sector pay awards.   

This is outlined in detail in the IUA’s pre-budget submission which is available to read here (pdf). 

You can find the appropriate contact details for your local T.D. here. It would also be helpful to contact any declared candidates for the forthcoming general election in your local constituency. 

You may also contact the Taoiseach, Mr Simon Harris, T.D., who served previously as Minister for Further & Higher Education; the current Minister for Further & Higher Education, Mr Patrick O’Donovan, T.D.; the Minister for Finance, Mr Jack Chambers, T.D.; and the Minister for Public Expenditure, Mr Paschal Donohoe, T.D. 

Some key points:  

  • Ireland’s higher education system remains grossly underfunded by international standards. This has been accepted by government in their “Funding the Future” policy document.  A thriving higher university sector is vital for our society and for our economy. It helps secure foreign direct investment, increases Ireland’s competitiveness and delivers research breakthroughs that affect people’s lives such as advances in health and medicine.
  • Government made a public commitment to address this problem in its 2022  “Funding the Future” policy document. That commitment must be honoured. This October’s budget is this government’s final opportunity to do that. 
  • The increase in core funding, promised in “Funding the Future”, must also be accompanied by significant funding to cover the public sector pay awards. Failure to address this will mean any additional core funding will be effectively consumed by pay awards.
  • Our students are suffering: they are dealing with an accommodation crisis, a cost of living crisis and over-stretched student services. Action to address the cost of education for students and the deficit in core funding for the higher education sector is essential. There is little point in making it more affordable for students to go to college if they are entering under-funded, financially-stressed universities. 
  • Our staff are suffering: workloads are increasing, infrastructure – including research equipment – is ageing, and our facilities simply cannot keep pace with the world’s best. 
  • Our teaching is suffering due to increasing class sizes and new digital opportunities being beyond our financial reach.   
  • A full financial analysis is available in the IUA’s pre-budget submission document (pdf). 

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Tá sé tábhachtach go gcloisfeadh ionadaithe poiblí uait roimh Bhuiséad 2025, a fhógrófar ar an 1 Deireadh Fómhair 2024.

Tá Coláiste na Tríonóide, i gcomhar le Cumann Ollscoileanna Éireann (COÉ), ag éileamh go gcuirfí dlús suntasach le tiomantas an rialtais €307m de bhunchistiú bliantúil breise a chur ar fáil don earnáil, chomh maith le soláthar chun íocaíochtaí pá na hearnála poiblí a chistiú.

Déantar cur síos mionsonraithe air seo in aighneacht réamhbhuiséid an COÉ atá ar fáil le léamh anseo (pdf).

Gheobhaidh tú na sonraí teagmhála cuí do do T.D. áitiúil anseo. Bheadh sé cabhrach freisin teagmháil a dhéanamh le haon iarrthóirí i do thoghcheantar áitiúil atá dearbhaithe don olltoghchán atá le teacht.

Is féidir teagmháil a dhéanamh freisin leis an Taoiseach, an tUasal Simon Harris, T.D., a bhí ina Aire Breisoideachais agus Ardoideachais roimhe seo; an tAire Breisoideachais agus Ardoideachais reatha, an tUasal Patrick O’Donovan, T.D.; An tAire Airgeadais, an tUasal Jack Chambers, T.D.; agus an tAire Caiteachais Phoiblí, an tUasal Paschal Donohoe, T.D.

Roinnt príomhphointí:

  • Leanann an tearmhaoiniú ollmhór i gcóras ardoideachais na hÉireann de réir chaighdeáin idirnáisiúnta. Tá glactha ag an rialtas leis sin ina dhoiciméad beartais ‘Maoiniú na Todhchaí’. Tá earnáil ardoideachais atá faoi bhláth ríthábhachtach dár sochaí agus dár ngeilleagar. Cuidíonn sí le hinfheistíocht dhíreach choigríche a dhaingniú, méadaíonn sí iomaíochas na hÉireann agus soláthraíonn sí fionnachtana taighde a théann i bhfeidhm ar shaol daoine cosúil le dul chun cinn i gcúrsaí sláinte agus leighis.
  • Thug an Rialtas gealltanas poiblí aghaidh a thabhairt ar an bhfadhb seo ina dhoiciméad beartais ‘Maoiniú na Todhchaí’ ón mbliain 2022. Ní mór an gealltanas sin a chomhlíonadh. Is é buiséad mhí Dheireadh Fómhair an deis dheiridh a bheidh ag an rialtas seo é sin a dhéanamh.
  • Ní mór cistiú suntasach a bheith ag gabháil leis an méadú ar an mbunchistiú, a gealladh i ‘Maoiniú na Todhchaí’, chun íocaíochtaí pá na hearnála poiblí a chlúdach. Mura dtugtar aghaidh air sin, go bunúsach is ar íocaíochtaí pá a chaithfear aon bhunchistiú breise.
  • Tá ár mic léinn ag fulaingt: tá siad ag déileáil le géarchéim lóistín, le géarchéim sa chostas maireachtála agus le seirbhísí mac léinn a bhfuil brú rómhór orthu. Tá sé riachtanach beart a dhéanamh chun aghaidh a thabhairt ar chostas an oideachais do mhic léinn agus ar an easnamh sa bhunchistiú d’earnáil an ardoideachais. Is beag is fiú é a dhéanamh níos inacmhainne do mhic léinn dul chuig an gcoláiste má tá siad ag dul isteach in ollscoileanna tearc-mhaoinithe atá faoi bhrú airgeadais.
  • Tá ár bhfoireann ag fulaingt: tá an t-ualach oibre ag dul i méid, tá an bonneagar – lena n-áirítear trealamh taighde – ag dul in aois, agus ní féidir lenár saoráidí cos a choinneáil leis na saoráidí is fearr ar domhan.
  • Tá ár dteagasc ag fulaingt mar gheall ar líon na mac léinn sna ranganna a bheith ag dul i méid agus mar gheall ar dheiseanna digiteacha nua nach bhfuil sé d’acmhainn againn a chistiú.
  • Tá anailís airgeadais iomlán ar fáil i ndoiciméad aighneachta réamhbhuiséid an COÉ (pdf).