‘Slap in the face’: Kenny slams government’s €1,000 student fee hike

Sligo-Leitrim Sinn Féin TD Martin Kenny has branded the government’s decision to increase student fees by €1,000 as “outrageous” and “a slap in the face” for families already struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.

Deputy Kenny criticised Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael for what he described as a continuing pattern of abandoning young people and failing to grasp the financial pressures ordinary families are facing.

“As the cost-of-living crisis continues to spiral out of control, government’s decision to hike up student fees by €1,000 is absolutely outrageous,” he said. “It’s a slap in the face for students and families who are already struggling to keep their heads above water.”

The Sligo-Leitrim TD said the move follows other damaging decisions for students, including the recent weakening of protections for student renters — which he warned will drive accommodation costs even higher.

“There is a severe shortage of student accommodation for those attending Atlantic University Sligo, with many forced to commute long distances,” he said. “Parents are telling me they now face the brutal decision of choosing which of their children can afford to go to college. That is wrong. No parent should have to make that choice.”

Kenny called for a more supportive approach to education funding and said Sinn Féin is demanding a cost-of-living package in September that would cut student fees by €1,500 as a first step toward abolishing fees entirely.

“Our young people deserve a society that enables them to thrive, realise their full potential, and build a future for themselves here,” he said.

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