No excuse for grants delay, say students

THOUSANDS of students are struggling to make ends meet as their maintenance grants have not yet been paid out, the Union of Students in Ireland said yesterday.

They blamed delays on some of the local authorities and Vocational Education Committees, which are deciding on the grant applications from around 60,000 third level students this year.

However, USI education officer Brighid Breathnach said many colleges are waiting until all their students’ grants are cleared before issuing the first instalments. For students living more than 15 miles from home and receiving the full grant, this first payment could be up to €1,000.

“This is at a time of year when students spend most money in bulk, buying books, and paying deposits on accommodation. There were major delays last year because of the late registration fee increase but grant forms were sent out much earlier this year, so there should be no excuse,” she said.

Ms Breathnach said a small number of colleges were also withholding student cards for those who have not registered yet, because their grant body has not confirmed that their application was successful. Those who qualify for grants do not have to pay the €670 registration fee, but some students are now being denied library access because of the delay.

At National University of Ireland, Galway, where USI claims all payments have been withheld so far, registration closes this week.

A university spokesperson said: “There’s a huge amount of administration involved in the grants, but we will get through them as quickly as possible from next Monday.”

Although it was unclear last night which councils or VECs have not yet completed grant assessments, the head of the vocational sector said there could be good reasons for hold-ups.

Irish Vocational Education Association general secretary Michael Moriarty said: “It’s a long process and many of the delays are caused by applications coming in without all the information or documents required.”

USI supports the Government’s plans to centralise the assessment and awarding of grants with the Department of Social and Family Affairs. However, Mr Moriarty said there were many good reasons not to proceed with the move, being strongly pushed by Education Minister Noel Dempsey. The improved grant package announced by Mr Dempsey in May raised the maximum amount to €2,885 a year.