People are being forced to choose between heating their homes or staying in education, new research from AONTAS shows.
New findings show that 41% of people participating in adult education are struggling to pay for household bills and meals.
Almost one third of people surveyed said they need greater financial support to remain in education to improve their quality of life, build knowledge, and boost their career opportunities.
With meal allowances for some adult learners currently as little as 80 cent per day, AONTAS are calling for Budget 2025 to include:
- A 50% increase in allowances for adult learners
- An increase in social welfare payments for adult learners
- A commitment to provide more information for the public on adult education courses and supports available
“How is anyone supposed to feed themselves on 80 cent a day?” says our CEO Dearbháil Lawless. “You can’t even buy a cup of tea for that.”
The campaign, which runs until Friday, September 6, is being backed by Dublin Oldschool creator, Emmet Kirwan, who is from Tallaght.
“There are a lot of barriers – whether that’s class and being from a working-class background, or racial barriers and being from a refugee background,” said Kirwan, whose hit show returns to Dublin for a 10th anniversary run this week.
“It’s a lot easier to do well in education if you live in a stable household or area, and not in poverty. It’s easier to be able to study and do well in school or a course. When people are living in precarious situations, whether that’s housing, medical, or financial difficulties, it’s very hard to do well. It’s not that easy if you’re living in emergency accommodation, for example, to study if you’re sharing a room with your whole family.”
Emmet joined Dearbháil to launch the “Holding You Back” campaign at the campaign mural, created by Emmalene Blake, located on Southcircular Road near the Tesco.
With figures from funding agency SOLAS showing that one in three adult learners are unemployed, Dearbháil said social welfare should be increased so that people’s basic needs are met to allow them to “enter and succeed in education, find a career, and improve their self-confidence, standard of living and general happiness levels”.
“People can’t engage in education unless their basic needs are met, including accommodation, food, and health,” she said.
“Education is a risk for many people. But it should improve people’s circumstances, not create greater financial instability. Some apprentices are sleeping in their vans because they can’t find anywhere affordable to live due to the housing crisis. People with families are being forced to choose between paying energy bills or course fees. This means a lot of people end up leaving their course. More financial supports will have wider benefits for Irish society, including increasing social equality and building stronger communities.”
Research carried out by independent economic research organisation Indecon found that adult education in Ireland costs students just over €10,000 per academic year, and this excludes “hidden” costs like rent, bills, travel, food, and learning supplies.
Paula McLoughlin, an adult learner from Dublin, says returning to education was a “lifeline” for her, after losing her business during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, she says financial guilt has been a big barrier to her learning.
“You feel guilty taking money out of the household kitty. When I had to buy a €100 laptop for my course, I was thinking that it cost the same as two weeks of a food shop. If equipment like that could be provided, it would be a huge support.”
Paula, who has just completed the “Women’s Studies” course with Women’s Collective Ireland in Ronanstown, added that a website to highlight the supports available to adult learners is urgently required.
Find out more at aontas.com/holdingyouback
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