UP TO 40 per cent of students’ grant applications are likely to be returned as incomplete, leaving students without funds over the Christmas period. The latest figures show that are still approximately 2,000 students from across Limerick city and county who are still waiting for their grant applications to be processed by the new centralised student grant system, SUSI, set up this year by Education Minister Ruairí Quinn.
With a Fianna Fáil Dáil motion last week calling on Mr Quinn to stop the increases in third level fees and take responsibility for the unprecedented crisis in processing student grants, Limerick TD Willie O’Dea said the Minister admitted to Oireachtas members that four out of ten applications are being returned as incomplete.
Deputy O’Dea says this means Limerick students will be forced to resubmit their applications and will be waiting until several weeks after Christmas to receive their grants.
He added that the new online grant processing system, SUSI, was launched in June to address issues such as delays, however hundreds of Limerick’s third level students are still awaiting a decision regarding grant applications.
“Wasn’t SUSI supposed to cut through all of these problems? At this rate, thousands of students will certainly be waiting until the early spring to receive their grant. The Minister can attempt to spin the figures whatever way he likes, but the bottom line is that these are the most hard-pressed students who need state support to stay in college,” commented Deputy O’Dea.
His party colleague and Limerick County TD Niall Collins stated: “Minister Quinn was quick to bask in praise when SUSI was established. But now that his new system is riddled with problems and threatening the third level education of many students in Limerick and across the country, the Minister wants to blame everyone else instead of taking responsibility himself.
“I have spoken with many local students who have been unable to register properly as a result of these problems. They can’t get any answer from officials and are now at risk of having to drop out of college unless the government starts taking action.”
Deputy Collins also accused Minister Quinn of reintroducing third level fees “through the back door”, having increased the registration fee by €250 this year with plans to add a further €750 to the fee over the next three years.
The Oireachtas Education Committee is to hold a special meeting this week to question SUSI officials about the delays.
