“The next Budget should provide once-off emergency funding from the surge in Corporation tax to address the escalating higher education crisis”, Joan Donegan, General Secretary of the Irish Federation of University Teachers, said in advance of IFUT’s 2019 Annual Delegate Conference in Dublin, Saturday, May 11th, 2019.

“Official figures this week from the Revenue Commissions show a 26% jump in Corporation tax paid last year to a staggering €10.6 billion.”

“Just one percent of this income would provide an additional €100m next year for higher education.  It would greatly address the recommendations on funding contained in the 2016 Cassells Report which have been sidelined and ignored by government for the past three years.”

“This once off funding would support the sector pending a final decision by government on overall resourcing of the sector.  The Taoiseach recently ruled out hiking student fees as a solution, but the government must deliver positive policies and announcements beyond piecemeal comments,” Joan Donegan said.

IFUT Conference will debate a UCC motion which calls on “government, political parties and all stakeholders to engage urgently with the recommendations of the Cassells report … to ensure the continuation of Irish higher education as a public good.”

In an unprecedented move last year, IFUT and the Irish Universities Association, together with the TUI and USI, warned jointly of “an irreversible slide in the quality of our third level system” and called for “an immediate move by government to address the funding crisis.”

Joan Donegan said that “last year Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform, Paschal Donohue, allocated €1bn to a rainy day fund.  The stark fact is that higher education is drowning right now from under resourcing and the needs of ever-escalating student numbers.  The government must set aside a portion of money from corporation tax windfalls to address the crisis.”