The highest rate of maintenance grant for third-level students will be increased to £3,000 a year, following the publication of a report on improving access to higher education.
The increase was one of 77 recommendations made by the Action Group on Access to Education, in its report introduced by the Minister for Education, Dr Woods, yesterday.
It is an increase of £1,225 for disadvantaged students living more than 15 miles from college.
Students living within 15 miles will receive a maximum maintenance grant of £1,200, an increase of £490.
Announcing the increase, Dr Woods said it would benefit 7,000 students from disadvantaged backgrounds. It would be backdated to the start of the 2000-01 academic year, he said.
The action group was set up by Dr Woods last September to advise on the best ways of increasing third-level participation of students from disadvantaged backgrounds, students with disabilities and mature students.
He said an action plan would be prepared to advance the proposals.
"This report will not sit on a shelf. The group's recommendations will be addressed by my Department," he said.
The report called for the establishment of a national office to implement its recommendations. It recommended that means-testing and payment of the maintenance grant be transferred to the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs. "Initial discussions on this issue have already been taking place at official level," Dr Woods said.
The report recommended that third-level institutions set aside at least 15 per cent of full-time undergraduate places for mature students and for students entering college through routes other than the Leaving Certificate.
Dr Woods pointed out that £95 million had been allocated under the National Development Plan to address inequity at third level.
Dr Cormac Macnamara, chairman of the action group, said an "enormous amount" still needed to be done to improve access to third-level education.
The maintenance grant currently helped those on the social welfare threshold, but ultimately it should encapsulate those at 75 per cent of the average industrial wage, he said.
The National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) welcomed the increase in maintenance grant levels but said the category of qualifying students was too narrow. "The term `disadvantaged' needs to be seriously looked at," said Mr Donall Geoghegan, NYCI programme manager. "A much greater number of students fits this description than this report allows for."
The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) also welcomed the increase but said the Minister should go one step further and increase the maintenance grant for all eligible students.
"The report clearly states that the £3,000 payment for 7,000 students is merely a first step," Mr Richard Hammond, USI president, said. "The next step is to increase the top-up payment to £3,900 and to increase the number in receipt of this amount to 22,400 students."
About 40 per cent of full-time students now receive maintenance grants.
Meanwhile Aontas, the national association for adult education, said the report should have recommended the abolition of fees for part-time students.
Ms Berni Brady, Aontas director, said further and higher education programmes should be free for part-time students. "The fact that fees are more often than not beyond the reach of the majority of low-paid workers acts as an unacceptable obstacle to participation," she said.
