Thousands of postcards are being distributed to college students by the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) as part of a campaign to reform the grants system.
The Student Support Bill is six months overdue, according to USI, and the Government's "devastating failure" to enact it has been heavily criticised by the union.
Petition postcards were published in Galway yesterday as part of the drive to put pressure on TDs. The postcards seek "urgent action" on the Government's pre-election promise to reform the grants system, the union says.
USI education officer Hamid Khodabakhshi said that students had been forced to take this step.
"Students this autumn are suffering a great deal, with VECs and local authorities failing to process grant applications and grant payments on time. The ultimate fault lies not with the VECs and local authorities, but with the grants system, which needs to be centralised."
The Student Support Bill proposes reducing the number of administering agencies for grants, but USI says it stops short of providing a single, centralised system.
