USI wants single body to allocate €200m in grants

STUDENTS protested outside Leinster House yesterday calling for a streamlining of the third-level grants system.

The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) condemned what it sees as needless waste.

It says that the money that would be saved if one central body processed and delivered maintenance could be spent on student grants, instead of the 66 local authorities which currently process the grants individually for students from their respective administrative areas.

USI president Colm Hamrogue said: “Each year, thousands of students experience hardship due to unnecessary delays in the processing of grants.

“These delays occur because 66 local authorities are struggling to perform a task that could be managed far more sensibly by a single, unified grants system administered by the Department of Education and Science.”

About €200 million a year goes on grants to the country’s 40,000 third-level students — an average of €5,000 per student.

At present, 33 vocational education authorities and 33 local authorities individually process the grants.

When USI queried local authorities’ handling costs, the department said it was unable to project administration costs. The students’ union said yesterday it wanted the Government to increase the value of the student grants, “instead of wasting money on chaotic administration”.

www.usi.ie