Around three hundred students have protested in Dublin city centre calling on the government to build student accommodation and to cut the contribution fee which third level students pay.
Union of Students in Ireland President Chris Clifford told RTÉ News that they want the government to allocate 5% of the projected €65 billion government surplus to help students.
"We looking for €2.7 billion for the future of this country, so that's to target publicly built student accommodation, to target the contribution fee," Mr Clifford said.
"Education is a right not a privilege."
The protest marched from Parnell Square to Merrion Square where speakers included housing campaiger and academic Rory Hearne and opposition spokespeople Mairéad Farrell TD of Sinn Féin, Labour TD Aodhán Ó Riordáin and People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett.
Mr Hearne told the students: "We need to see housing treated as a human right in this country, for too long it has been treated as an investment asset, you, the students, have been turned into an investment commodity for global wealth funds and purpose built student accommodation."
Speaking to RTÉ News, Alex Balfe, President of the students union at Maynooth University, said: "If a student is lucky enough to find a room in a house they're paying €800 or €900 a month and we've got multiple complaints about mould in rooms, about unsafe landlords."
Ashley Igwe, who is studying architecture at Technical University Dublin and was at the protest, said: "The fact that I have to commute two hours every single day, one way, so that makes a total of four hours. It's unacceptable.
"I'm in my fourth year of college, the fact I've been doing this for four years is absolutely draining."
The USI, which organised the protest, said the Government should use the rainy day fund, as "it is raining now for third-level students who are suffering financial hardship or dropping out of college, due to the lack of affordable student accommodation and other costs".
Mr Clifford added: "Ireland's Budget surplus is expected to reach €65 billion in the next two years.
"It’s inexcusable that students couch-surf, commute long distances, and have no hope of a future in Ireland while Government has the capacity to fund that future.
"A long-term investment in the unstable higher education sector is an option for Government right now. Finance can no longer be used as the excuse, but rather it’s down to the priorities of our politicians."
Drowning in costs
Students are drowning in costs and many cannot find a place to live near a college and they have to commute for hours, Sinn Féin Leader Mary Lou McDonald told the Dáil.
She said students feel that the accommodation crisis is robbing them of a future in Ireland.
Students are having to choose between financial hardship or dropping out of education, while many of those who complete their course, are quickly emigrating, she said.
The Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said there are more people attending third level and further education that ever before and more are likely to get employment than at any time in the past.
Mr Varadkar acknowledged the problem of student accommodation but he said there are 900 more students beds available this year compared to last year.
He accused Ms McDonald of being "the great misleader" by claiming there was a mass exodus of people out of the country.
"You want to get your way into office by creating a false impression about our country and what it is like," he said.
Labour leader Ivana Bacik has accused the Government of "not doing enough" to tackle "the scourge" of derelict homes at a time of a housing crisis.
She said access to housing was the civil rights of the issue of this generation, with schools who cannot get teachers and students who cannot find accommodation.
The Dublin Bay South TD said that the Government's attitude was once of "disrespect" to those living at the "sharp end" of the housing crisis.
She accused the HSE of having "contempt" for elected officials who, like her, had been trying to bringing Baggot Street Hospital site back into use.
In reply, Mr Varadkar said the context to the issue was that employers were finding it difficult to recruit staff because Ireland now has full employment.
He said the vacancy rate in social housing is roughly 2%, sometimes because the property is being renovated while others were being demolished.
Mr Varadkar said there were 4,000 grant applications to bring old buildings into use; the Land Development Agency have been given €150m to purchase such properties; while at the same time the vacant property tax is coming into force in the next few months and there were also new derelict site levies.
Ms Bacik said there needed to be a concerted campaign from central Government to access the "low hanging fruit" of derelict properties. She added that there was not sufficient urgency being applied to the problem.
Mr Varadkar said "every effort" is being made to identify lands to increase housing, citing how St Kevin's Hospital in Cork had been transferred to the LDA and the first of 265 social and affordable housing will become available from 2025.
Additional reporting Micheál Lehane and Paul Cunningham
