All is not well in the land of student grants

RECENT media coverage of the student grants debacle and the extra funds and grant thresholds paint a pretty picture for Irish students.

But double standards still remain.

The easiest way to illustrate my point is by example: if I was 23 years of age at the time of first registering for third-level education, I would be assessed as a mature student and my own income would be means tested for grant applications and not my parents'.

However, if I am not yet 23 at the time of first registering for college but turn 23 in subsequent years of my course, my parents' income is assessed for grant purposes and not mine.

For example, if I was 22 at first registering in college, at the age of 26, in the final year of my course, I would still be means tested under my parents' income and not my own blatant double standards.

Understandably, most parents don't financially support their children at the age of 23 or above (ie, they are taken care of while at home but as soon as the academic year starts and they have to move closer to their college, financially they're on their own).

Damien Reid,

DCU student,

Chestnut Grove,

Dunboyne,

Co Meath.