Department of Education urged to streamline grant schemes

THE Department of Education has been urged to end delays on the announcement of grant schemes.

The call came from leaders of city and county Vocational Education Committees (VECs), which are to take over the running of third-level grants from next year. They currently handle about two-thirds of the 60,000 annual applications for student grants but will take over the remainder from county councils next year.

The annual congress of the Irish Vocational Education Association (IVEA), the umbrella body of the 33 VECs, heard that uncertainty was created every year by delays from the Department of Education.