Grants debacle spells failure

A better service for students was pledged but the new grants system is worse than the one it replaced, says education correspondent Niall Murray

AN EXCELLENT example of public sector reform that will ensure better customer service for all students who rely on grants.

That was how Ruairí Quinn proudly announced the opening of applications through Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) on Jun 11. The move brought an end to more than a decade of planning for a single agency to handle student grants, first mooted in the Jun 2002 Programme for Government agreed by Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats.