Vol. 520 No. 3
143 Mr. Aylward asked the Minister for Education and Science if a person returning to college for 12 months to do a higher diploma can be considered for a mature student grant even though he already qualified for a higher education grant. [15750/00]
Financial assistance is available to mature students in respect of attendance at approved postgraduate courses under the higher education grants scheme and the vocational education committees scholarships scheme which are administered by the local authorities and vocational education committees respectively.
An approved course at postgraduate level is a full time course which is of not less than one year duration and pursued in one of the institutions approved for the purposes of the schemes.
In general, mature candidates who are entering for the first time, or re-entering in order to complete approved postgraduate courses may be eligible for grant assistance towards maintenance and or fees, up to a maximum fee limit, where they satisfy the relevant conditions as to age, residence, means and nationality.
The schemes also provide for the consideration of candidates who having attended but not successfully completed an approved course, are returning following a break of at least five years in order to pursue an approved course at the same level, for example, second chance students. Grants may not be paid to candidates who already hold a postgraduate qualification and are pursuing a second postgraduate qualification.
A prospective mature student should contact his or her local authority or VEC in order to have his or her eligibility for grant assistance assessed under the terms of the relevant scheme.
144 Mr. Bradford asked the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to the financial difficulties faced by higher diploma students during the course of their teaching practice programme; and if he will provide funding to allow a weekly payment to these students. [15751/00]
The higher diploma in education provided in approved third level colleges, is an approved course for the purposes of the higher education grants scheme. Under the terms of that scheme, grantholders who are required to participate in off-campus placement as an integral part of their course may have their grant entitlement paid in the normal manner. Where the college requires a grantholder in receipt of the adjacent rate of grant to relocate from his or her residence in order to undertake a placement of not less than one academic term/semester, the non-adjacent rate of grant may be paid for the duration of such placement. Accordingly, student teachers who are eligible for grant assistance continue to receive their entitlements while undertaking teaching practice.
The position in relation to teaching practice is that it is not a paid activity in any institution but rather is viewed as training rather than employment. It is an integral part of the curriculum of the higher diploma in education and there is no special financial assistance available to students for this aspect of their course.
