Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 November 2015
949. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Skills given the requirement for further education teachers to have teaching qualifications to teach in a further education college, if she will revise the Student Universal Support Ireland grant rules on progression to cater for students undertaking courses at level 8, for the purposes of becoming further education teachers, when they have a level 9 qualification. [37616/15]
View answerTo satisfy the terms and conditions of the student grant scheme in relation to progression, a student must be moving from year to year within a course having successfully completed the previous year or be transferring from one course to another where the award for the subsequent course is of a higher level than the previous course.
The objective of this policy is to help as many students as possible to obtain one qualification at each level of study. Given the level of demand on the student grant budget from first time students and students that are progressing with their studies to a higher level, there are no plans at present to change the arrangements in place.
In the situation referred to by the Deputy, a student who already holds a level 9 qualification and intends to pursue a course at level 8, which is at a lower level, is not considered to be in progression and cannot be considered for funding.
However, tax relief at the standard rate of tax may be claimed in respect of tuition fees paid for approved courses at approved colleges of higher education including approved undergraduate and postgraduate courses in EU Member States and in non-EU countries.
