“Students left in dark regarding lecture times”

“Students left in dark regarding lecture times” – Ógra Aontú

Ógra Aontú have today called on the Minister for Higher Education, Simon Harris, to ensure that third level institutions around the country provide clarity with regards to lecture times and timetables.

Spokesperson for the group, Miriam Kehoe, a student of University College Dublin, said:

“Ógra Aontú have been in touch with many students around the country, in various colleges and institutes and they’re all relaying the same tale of woe. There seems to be a complete lack of clarity from colleges with regard to lecture times and timetable structures, with students receiving conflicting information every day. This problem is not unique to any one university, with students in UCD, Trinity College and NUI Galway all expressing the same sentiments”.

Miriam continued: “One student told us of how he was initially told that all his lectures would be online, before being told that he’d have one lecture on a Wednesday evening, before that was changed again to a Monday evening, all within the last week. This issue presents an impossible situation for students who are trying to juggle work and studies while also trying to source accommodation. Students are back to college on Monday, but decisions are changing every day – will they be back on campus? Or back online? If the answers to these questions are not clear, then how can students be expected to pay deposits on accommodation?”

“What is the purpose of paying for accommodation if a student is only physically required on campus for one day a week with the remaining days online? Students have again been left in the dark. Ógra Aontú is calling on Minister Harris to ensure that clarity is brought to the situation and that flexibility, in these strange times, is arranged for students. If a student lives in a lockdown county and has but one day of lectures a week in the other end of the country, then that student should be able to participate online. It is the view of Ógra Aontú that, on foot of these challenges, all lectures should be recorded and available for students to play back online”, concluded Miriam.

#ÓgraAontú #VoicesForChange

The Irish political system is radically broken

In Ireland the vast majority of elected representatives put a finger in the air to check which way the political wind is blowing. They have one eye on their leaders – seeking brownie points – and another eye keeping their seat safe. If elected reps shut up and do as they’re told, they are promoted; if they stand up for what they believe in, they are demoted. No wonder we have the political class we have. No wonder one point one billion euro is being buried in a hole under the National Children’s Hospital and that Stormont is in stalemate.

Throughout Ireland, many people are now afraid to say what they feel, many are afraid to respectfully engage on a range of different topics. Many feel there is a new censorship and a new political correctness in Ireland, that opposition to the establishment is being deleted.

Respectful opposition is not the enemy. Respectful opposition is a critical element of a functional democracy. Aontú will have the backbone to stand up, without fear, for you.