MORE THAN 2,500 students remain in “no man’s land” because they have not yet had their grant applications processed half way through the college year, according to the Union of Students in Ireland (USI).
USI president Peter Mannion said it was unfair that so many students did not yet know if they were to receive a grant for the college year. “We are now in February, and there are still students who have not yet been notified if they are to receive a grant.”
He noted that many students could not turn to their parents for help as was the case in the past because many of their parents were facing financial difficulties. “It’s a major issue, especially when you consider the fact that part-time work is very hard to find.”
Mr Mannion said an estimated 6,000 students had either not yet had their grant applications processed or had not received their first grant instalment. He said the public sector jobs moratorium and a 13 per cent increase in the number applying for grants had had a major impact on the processing of grants this year, creating a backlog.
Fine Gael spokesman for education Brian Hayes described the fact that students had to go so long without their application even being processed as “a farce”.
“Many, if not all, cannot afford to wait so long to get the grant, and some have already dropped out due to inability to pay rent, buy books and finance, at even a basic level, and the general cost of staying in college.”
He pointed to a “bureaucratic mess” from the fact that grants were processed by both VECs and local authorities, adding that this system was “clearly not working”.
The Department of Education said 2,572 grant applications were still to be processed.
Meanwhile, the USI said 27 awarding authorities have not yet paid the second instalment of the maintenance grant.