The lack of accommodation is the single biggest barrier to students in Ireland accessing and completing higher education, an Oireachtas committee will hear on Wednesday.
Members of the Joint Committee on Further and Higher Education will hear from Bryan O’Mahony, president of Amlé, the union of students in Ireland.
In his opening statement to the committee, Mr O’Mahony will say students in Ireland are faced with a “critical shortage” in publicly-funded, purpose-built accommodation.
The cost of accommodation has become “unsustainable”, and many students are forced into insecure arrangements as a result.
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“Some are couch surfing with friends or staying in hostels for weeks on end at the start of term. Others rely on ‘digs’ or the rent-a-room scheme. For many, long commutes are the only option. We hear daily from students travelling two, three, even four hours to and from campus,” Mr O’Mahony will tell the committee.
His statement comes as the Government comes under increased pressure to alleviate the crisis facing many students return or beginning their third level education this autumn.
Last week, the Department of Higher Education said the Student Accommodation Strategy has been delayed again and will now not be published until later this year.
Meanwhile, thousands of on-campus student beds across Dublin remain unbuilt despite being granted planning permission because of rising construction costs and a gap in Government funding.
Many students have told The Irish Times their stories of long commutes, an impossible rental market and couch surfing.
International students are particularly vulnerable to exploitation, Mr O’Mahony will say, because they do not have a local network and often cannot view properties ahead of their arrival, meaning they are more vulnerable to scams.
“International students are frequently asked to pay several months’ rent in advance or are forced into unsuitable or exploitative arrangements,” he will say.
Mr O’Mahony will criticise the cost of student beds in new privately built developments, which he says “seek to exploit the current student accommodation crisis, not solve it”.
[ ‘Nowhere to live’: Ireland’s student accommodation crisis is only getting worseOpens in new window ]
“As a result, much of the available student accommodation units charge rents far beyond the reach of ordinary students, forcing them into the private rental market,” Mr O’Mahony will say.
Amlé will put forward four recommendations to address the crisis: Public investment in student accommodation, rent caps for purpose-built student accommodation, the regulations of digs style housing and support for international students to prevent exploitation.
“On behalf of students, we urge investment in public student housing to ensure that no student in Ireland is priced out of learning,” Mr O’Mahony will say.
