LAST WEEK, THE Government quietly announced that student contribution fees would return to €3,000. For students and families across Ireland, this wasn’t just an administrative update — it was a direct blow.

And it was timed to land without consequence: the day before the CAO change of mind deadline, and right before student union officers changed over across the country.

Some believe Minister James Lawless was backed into a corner in his RTÉ interview and mistakenly announced the change, but we believe this is a calculated move by the Government — a weekend drop designed to dodge accountability from both outgoing and incoming student representatives.

They promised to reduce fees. Then, they decided to raise them by refusing to back the universal cut designed to support students in the cost-of-living crisis. And they attempted to do it quietly and at the worst possible time.

What they hadn’t accounted for was the possibility of a week of pushback and protest over such a move. Anxious parents and students lobbied, phoned radio shows and vocalised their concerns. The real concerns about how they were going to get their one, two or more kids through college this year. 

The return to the €3,000 fee would put Ireland right back among the most expensive countries in Europe for higher education. For many students, this fee is not a number on a page — it’s the difference between accepting a college place or not, between staying in education or dropping out, between progress and paralysis.

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This isn’t about affordability alone. It’s about credibility. Trust. And the........

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