CARRYING PLACARDS, BULLHORNS and chanting slogans, several thousand students marched through Dublin city ahead of rally at Merrion Square this afternoon.

The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) is worried that the recommendations in a government report would see an increase of fees, burden young people with debt and drastically reduce access to higher education.

The Cassells report specifically makes reference to a student-loan scheme, but said a number of considerations would have to be made before such a plan was rolled out.

“The government have been kicking the can down the road on the issue of higher education funding, while 10 out of 14 institutes of technology are in serious financial difficulty being starved of funding,” USI President Michael Kerrigan warned.

Minister of State for higher education Mary Mitchell O’Connor said today that the students have her assurance “that we are looking at all funding options outlined in the Cassells report and that this government has not made any decisions on deferred funding or otherwise”.

- Video by Andrew Roberts 

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