Members of the Union of Students of Ireland (USI) yesterday occupied the Department of Education and Science offices in Dublin to call for the abolition of student registration fees.
As thousands of students around the country prepare to receive their Leaving Certificate results this morning, USI said it hoped to highlight the fact that many will be forced to pay €750 in student services charges this September.
This represents an increase of €80 on last year, and compares with a fee of approximately €190 when the charge was first introduced in 1995.
Speaking at the protest, Mr Ben Archibald, the USI president, said the decision to occupy the Department was taken because the Minister, Mr Dempsey, "simply hasn't been listening" to the concerns of its members.
"We want to make sure the Department acknowledges the reasons for the protest," he said. "We're here for the long haul to show students that their representatives are taking the fight to the Department.
"The existence of this fee forces students to incur significant amounts of debt each year, obliging them to take up part-time employment during the academic year. The culmination of these factors results in increasing student poverty, higher drop-out rates and lower educational attainments."
The 20 or so students, joined by others outside the building, had earlier rushed the gates of the Department to gain access. However, it was a peaceful protest overall.
Those inside initially refused to leave the building until Mr Dempsey had agreed to meet them to discuss the issue.
But after several meetings with senior Department officials, USI agreed to vacate the building. This followed assurances from the Department that further meetings would be held in coming days.
A spokeswoman for the Department refused to comment on the protest but said USI's request to meet the Minister would be dealt with "in the normal way" once they had vacated the building.
Mr Archibald said he would not rule out an escalation of the protest, which could include nationwide demonstrations. "USI is campaigning against any increase in the registration fee and for its immediate removal," he said.
"Since the fee is a fixed, non means-tested charge, it disproportionately affects students from lower income groups."