Dickson Frustrated with Economy Minister’s Disinterest in the Erasmus Programme

East Antrim Alliance MLA, Stewart Dickson, put a written question to the Minister for the Economy, asking for her assessment on the continuation of the Erasmus Programme in Northern Ireland.

The Erasmus Programme is an initiative run by the European Union (EU), that provides opportunities for students to study or gain work experience in a different European country while completing a degree.

Mr Dickson said: “With the UK’s formal exit from the European Union at the beginning of the year, I wanted to know how the Minister will ensure continued participation in the programme for students in Northern Ireland.

“The life experience that the programme offers is invaluable and it is important that such opportunities remain accessible to our young people.”

In response, the Minister said that the Irish Government was taking Erasmus proposals forward and that it would be up to Northern Irish universities to promote any international mobility programmes that could benefit their students.

After receiving the unsatisfactory response, Mr Dickson said: “Once again, the Minister has shown her contempt for Northern Ireland’s student population.

“She has been slow to support them throughout the pandemic, continues to deny many the support funds she has sanctioned, and now shows a complete lack of interest in ensuring our students have access to the same opportunities as our European neighbours.”

Mr Dickson’s comments were referencing the Minster’s failing to implement an Assembly-backed motion to extend the £500 Covid Study Disruption Payment to students who had previously been excluded from the scheme. This would include further education, part-time and international students; as well as students from Northern Ireland who are studying elsewhere.

The National Union of Students – Union of Students Ireland (Northern Ireland’s student representative body) has said that the Minister has refused to meet with them on two separate occasions to discuss the issue. They say she has strongly indicated that she has no intention of amending her policy position despite the Assembly having passed a motion in support of extending the payment.