The standard maintenance grant for over 51,000 higher education students next year will increase by just 2 per cent in line with inflation, the Minister for Education and Science, Mr Dempsey, has announced. John Downes reports.
However, in a move aimed at prioritising participation of students from lower socio-economic groups, "top-up" grants for students from disadvantaged backgrounds will rise by almost 19 per cent, he said.
This means students qualifying for these grants will receive either €765 or €1,910 on top of their normal grant, depending on how far away they live from their place of study.
The annual income threshold for these grants will also increase by some 7 per cent to €14,693 next year, ensuring that at least 10,000 students would benefit, he said.
Students applying for a grant are entitled to support according to a number of different income levels, with allowances made for the number of children they might have. This support ranges from full payment of fees and full maintenance, to payment of half-fees only.
Outlining details of the scheme for 2004/2005, Mr Dempsey said the top income limit had been increased from €40,000 to €42,360.
Students at this level are entitled to payment of half of their fees, and are exempted from payment of the student service charge of €750.
They receive no other financial assistance outside of this. But the maximum grant, which also includes full payment of tuition fees, will increase by only 2 per cent to €2,945.
Responding to the announcement, Ms Jan O'Sullivan, Labour party spokeswoman for education, said if Mr Dempsey was really serious about promoting equitable access to higher education, he would have increased the maximum grant by more than "a niggardly 2 per cent."
She said it was time for Mr Dempsey to overhaul the grant system, and the means test in particular, to look at assets as well as income.