TUS Athlone to take part in student walkout this Wednesday

The Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) Students' Unions have announced a coordinated walkout of all classes this Wednesday, October 22, at 12 noon to protest what they call a failure by the Government to ensure fair and equal funding for the TU sector.

The strike is being taken as "a last resort" to demand parity with older, or 'legacy,' universities, as TUs feel they are being relegated to a "two-tier education system."

The students' demands center on key areas of inequality, including the immediate implementation of a full TU Borrowing Framework for capital funding to build purpose-built student accommodation.

They are also calling for an increase in Postgraduate Stipend Funding to reach the full €25,000 research stipend, along with the full implementation and funding of Professorships within the TU sector.

Other asks include full implementation and funding of Professorships within the Technological University sector, with proper resourcing from central Government, as well as increased core funding for courses taught through the medium of Irish, along with amendments to the Technological Universities Act to include explicit references and commitments to Irish-medium education, mirroring those already present in the Universities Act.