Warning of mass protest over student grant system

A RETURN to mass student protests cannot be ruled out as long as uncertainty remains about efficient grant payments, Union of Students in Ireland (USI) president Tony McDonnell warned last night.

Although student unrest over fees and funding was relatively low-key over the past two years, he said that much of the Government’s plans to streamline the grants system have yet to be ironed out.

Education Minister Mary Hanafin announced recently that she will introduce legislation handing responsibility for the grants schemes to one agency from next year.