USI: Extra staff to deal with backlogs not enough
The Union of Students in Ireland has said that the extra staff recruited to deal with backlogs in processing third level grants will not be enough to resolve the delays.
The new body set up to oversee student grants has confirmed that out of 66,000 applications received, less than a third have been processed so far.
Speaking in the Dáil this evening, Education Minister Ruairí Quinn formally apologised to students and their parents for the delays.
But USI President John Logue said that hiring a few extra staff is no good for students who have already been forced to drop out of college:
Meanwhile, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin, speaking during a private member's motion on education in the Dáil tonight, said the crisis in Third Level student funding was leading to a significant increase in student hardship.
He has warned the Education Minister that failure to address the issue could lead to a fall-off in third-level attendance by the most economically marginalised groups.
Mr. Martin warned that the SUSI system of grant processing is failing students.
