Student fears budget cuts will force her to drop out

A STUDENT already waiting a full term for her college grant is in fear of dropping out because of the 5% cut in payments as part of Wednesday’s budget.

While Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe claims the drop reflects cost-of-living falls, postgraduate student Annie Hoey said she is already up to her eyes in debt and struggling to feed herself with €20 a week.

“I was on the top level of grant for the last three years, which has been the same €3,000 since I started. But while rents may be a bit cheaper, I can still barely afford food and books for my course,” she said.