Third level education costs crippling students and families

I’m hearing that many students and parents are finding the cost of third level education financially crippling. The housing crisis with a lack of supply & ever-increasing rent prices, added to a lack of affordable student accommodation is preventing students from pursuing their third level choices. Students in this state pay the highest fees in the EU. SUSI thresholds are too low for many families to access, and SUSI payments haven’t risen since 2012. Remember: it’s now illegal for student-specific accommodation providers to charge more than 1 month’s rent and 1 month’s deposit. We have a Fianna Fail Minister for Housing. We have a Fine Gael Minister for Higher Education. They must fix the problems within 3rd level education so that everyone has equality of opportunity across the state.