Last summer the government increased registration fees for students by 69%, this amounted to nothing more than an introduction of fees through the backdoor. It now plans to either introduce fees or student loans by September. Either way, the government plans for free third-level education to be a thing of the past from next September. This will mean thousands of students dropping out of college, poverty conditions for those remaining and thousands of young people being denied access to college. We cannot lie down and accept this attack on education. We have to be willing and able to take serious mass action against fees and demand free education for all.

The CFE has been one of the most formidable opponents of fees and cutbacks in education since the summer. It has organized numerous on-campus demonstrations in UCD making it a place of hostility to visiting government figures.  The CFE has blockaded the Minister for Education in college buildings for hours; organized a successful occupations of the N11 motorway, the Departments of Finance, Education and Transport; carried out a successful sit- down protest outside Dail Eireann. All this brought invaluable media and public attention to educational inequality and the danger of fees.

We believe education is a right and not a privilege. We believe in free and equal access for all, regardless of socio-economic status, to primary, secondary and third level education. We recognize that the present education system does not offer this and call on all students to secure your right to a free and accessible education of the highest standard. We must shift focus away from responding to the government's agenda, and force them to respond to ours, an agenda where educational opportunity is not mitigated by your economical and social background. Educational inequality is not something that magically appears in third level but is evident throughout the education system. The points system illustrates this.

Where students with unequal resources and crap school facilities are pitted against those who can afford private tuition and attend exam factories on Leeson Street. Students are forced into a rat race for a limited number of college places because the government are unwilling to adequately fund the colleges.

The Campaign for Free Education is a network set up last summer by students in UCD to fight the reintroduction of fees by getting students involved in collective mass action against the government. It is now essential that students, both in secondary and third level form an network to mobilise opposition against this government. The years of complacency, respectability and negotiation in the student movement must end, and action must begin.

We need to show the government how serious we are on this issue, through a campaign to mobilise students and involve students in actions such as blockades, mass occupations, school and college strikes and more, which directly affect and upset the government. If you want to get involved or set up a group in your school or college contact Caoimhe 0877564750 or James 0857198001.

Introduction.

Taking action against fees and education inequality is really not as hard as it looks.  We can't take the government on as individuals, but if we get as many people as possible involved, then there is nothing to stop us!  The key to success is not to sit back and wait for somebody to organise protests for you, do it yourself!

Get people involved.

Ask your friends how they feel about the threat of the reintroduction of fees.  I'm sure they'll feel the same as you, it's not exactly a good thing, is it?!  Get them involved in handing out leaflets and flyers around your school, these can be downloaded from the resource section of this website, or even better design your own.  Learning new skills is essential if we're going to build a campaign that can win, you may as well start!  Stick posters up in your school, sometimes teachers may rip them down.  But explain why you're doing this, and they may even want to get involved and support you, their unions are opposed to fees too.  But if they do continue to act the spa, stick posters up outside the school gates, very little they can do then! 

Organise a meeting in  your school, or outside if you've mates in other schools in the same town, why not organise a meeting with them somewhere in your area, that students from all schools can come to?  Hotels, community centres and pubs are good bets for rooms to use.  If they ask for money, which they will, don't panic!  In a worst case scenario, if no one shows up, run out on them and don't pay!  if people do show up, pass a hat around and get everyone to contribute to the cost of the room.  Also stress the need for money to poster, and do more flyers, if everyone chips in you can get a lot done.

Remember to get as many people as possible involved in the actual organisation of the protest, be it designing, leafleting and postering.  You can't do everything yourself, the more people do, the more their confidence builds and a feeling will grow that you can actually do this! 

Use the meeting to discuss what you think you can do, be it, petitions,  walkouts, occupations or whatever.  Remember actions speak louder than words.  Make sure everyone at the meeting gets to have a say, be democratic.  Take some notes so those who missed it can be filled in on what happened if they want to get involved.  Do an activist list, take people phone numbers so they can be texted and kept up to date on whets going on. 

We've set up an email list which can be used to discuss what we can do to beat fees and to organise, join it and keep in touch with other students across the country, in secondary and third level, click here to join.  It to organise your own protests.  It is vital we continue to get as many people as possible involved, so form networks and get people in other schools involved.

Once you've decided on what you want to do, let others know.  Get the ball rolling, poster for it and flyer for it, spread word at break times, schools are small places and news spreads quickly.  Tell the local media and national media by issuing a press release.


It's a democratic country, don't let anybody deny you your right to protest.  If you get victimised by your school authorities, organise a petition against, threaten THEM with a protest!  Stand up for yourself and fight their harassment.

The Protest.

There are many different forms of protest.  While letter writing campaigns demonstrate your anger, they can easily be binned.  The method of letter writing has been tried by groups like the Union of Students Ireland for years, and its failure can be seen in the fact that the government is still going to reintroduce fees!  A history has yet to be written of those who made their point respectably and went home.  Silence got us here and action can get us out!

Try a walkout, shut your school down for the day, and protest with others in your area.  Target your town hall, your local Fianna Fail or Progressive Democrat constituency office.  If people are up for it, occupy them.  A tactic used by students across the world is the blocking of roads during protests, if people are up for it, do it, but be careful.  The police will threaten you, but there's strength in numbers, they can't arrest 300 of you!

There are some links below to student based groups across the world, check them out, you might be inspired and find some ideas for action.

Education Is Not For Sale.  European Student Network.
Infoshop for Teens.  Activist resource.
Fighting to win.  Article on direct action.
Student Power.  General booklet on student activism.