MORE THAN 1,000 students from four third-level institutions took to the streets yesterday to protest over the proposed reintroduction of college fees.
Students from the University of Limerick, Limerick Institute of Technology, Mary Immaculate College of Education and Limerick School of Art and Design marched through the city centre.
Press Officer for Limerick Association of Students' Unions, Aoife Breen, said the reintroduction of college fees would deny some people the opportunity of going to college. "It's blocking people before they even get a chance to enter third level and is commandeering education," she said.
According to Ms Breen some 68 per cent of Irish students work in part-time jobs to fund their living expenses while at college.
"A recent survey found that it cost students €38,000 to get through four years of college . . . the fees will make this extortionate and will add an extra strain on students . . . consequently, more students will fail their courses," she added.
A protest is planned for Cork on October 9th when students from the nine third-level institutions across Munster march in the city as the campaign intensifies.