Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 March 2023
1030. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he has received correspondence (details supplied) from a group of 1st year students from the University of Limerick who are partaking in a business studies degree and who have been tasked with a social and civic engagement project; when he intends to review and response to this group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13535/23]
View answerI have reviewed the correspondence from the students from the University of Limerick and the responses to their queries are below. I wish them the best of luck in their academic careers.
1. A renewal of the Leaving certificate process to reduce stress on students so they can meet their full potential.
In March 2022 my colleague, the Minister for Education, announced an ambitious programme of work for a reimagined Senior Cycle of second-level education where the student is at the centre of their Senior Cycle experience. The redevelopment of Senior Cycle will:
- Empower students to meet the challenges of the 21st century;
- Enrich the student experience and build on what is strong in our current system; and
- Embed wellbeing and reduce student stress levels,
The reforms announced include initiatives to spread the assessment load for students and do so in a way that enhances student wellbeing. The reforms at Senior Cycle will broaden the ways used to assess and accredit students’ achievement, to better reflect and encourage the learning we wish to promote. Over the coming years, all Leaving Certificate subjects will have assessment components additional to the conventional written examinations. For each subject, teacher-based assessment will be worth 40% of the final mark. In addition to teacher-based assessment, subjects may also have other additional components outside of the final written exam.
2. A review of the CAO points system for admittance to college to allow more students a chance at their dream courses.
It is a priority of my Department to expand the pathways to tertiary education and expand provision of courses, particularly in areas of acute skills demand.
There are a range of options within the further and higher educational and training system, and pathways to careers that students can consider. For anyone who doesn’t gain access to their course of choice immediately, there is often an alternative path available to them. That could be through further education or apprenticeship, or through other courses in higher education.
The Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) determine their own procedures for admission, in line with their statutory autonomy. The Central Applications Office (CAO), who are an independent body, process applications for undergraduate, and some postgraduate, courses on their behalf.
Decisions on admissions are made by the Higher Education Institutions who then instruct the CAO to make offers to successful candidates. Neither I nor my Department have a role in the operation of the CAO or the admissions decisions of institutions.
3. The need for easing the financial burdens on students and families.
The Deputy may be aware that I recently instigated improvements to the student grant scheme in Budget 2022. For the academic year 2022/23, I increased the income threshold to qualify for the standard rate of student grant by €1,000, while all maintenance grant holders benefited from an increase of €200. I also announced a range of further measures to enhance the scheme as part of Budget 2023. Some of these cost-of-living measures commenced in 2022.
As part of the Government's cost of living measures:
- Every SUSI maintenance grant recipient received an additional once-off extra maintenance payment to be paid by the end of December 2022. This included PLC, undergraduate and Postgraduate Students who are in receipt of the Special Rate of Grant.
- All higher education students who are eligible for the fees initiative benefited from a once off reduction in the Student Contribution rate of €1,000 for the 2022/2023 academic year. For those on the 50% Student Contribution rate this reduction meant that the balance the student paid to their Higher Education Institution was €1,000 (a reduction of €500) for the current academic year.
- PhD students funded by the SFI and the IRC also benefited from a once off payment of €500 in the current academic year.
- Postgraduate Students who met the eligibility criteria for a Postgraduate Fee Contribution Grant benefited from a once off increase in this grant of €1,000 from €3,500 to €4,500.
In addition, I increased all maintenance grants effective from January 2023 in order to provide further financial assistance to those students most in need. The special rate and Band 1 rate of maintenance increased by 14% and all other maintenance grant rates increased by 10%.
I have also made two changes to the income thresholds for the student contribution grant for the academic year 2023/24 which will reduce the cost of education for students and families by:-
- Increasing the income limit from €55,240 to €62,000 for students to avail of the 50% Undergraduate Student Contribution and
- Introducing a new Student Contribution grant to the value of €500 for qualifying families on incomes earning between €62,000 and €100,000.
It is estimated that between 42,500 and 50,000 families could receive support under the Student Grant Scheme in 2023 for the first time as a result of these measures.
I also introduced two further measures, whereby income up to €14,000 as declared to Revenue under the Government's Rent a Room Scheme will not be counted as reckonable income when calculating eligibility for the 2023/2024 academic year. In addition, the holiday earnings provision under the Student Grant Scheme will allow for a deduction up to a maximum amount of €6552 (an increase from €4500) to be applied to student earnings outside of term time within the reference period when calculating reckonable income for grant eligibility for the 2023/2024 academic year. As a result of both measures some students may find that they will receive a higher rate of grant and some new students may also find themselves eligible for a grant for the first time once these measures are introduced.
In addition, for the 2022/2023 Academic Year, a further €8 million of funding has been secured for the Student Assistance Fund for the current academic year. Students in third-level institutions experiencing exceptional financial need can apply for support under the Student Assistance Fund (SAF). The Fund provides financial support to students who are experiencing financial difficulties while attending college. Students can apply for SAF to help with either temporary or ongoing financial difficulties and can be assisted towards their rent, childcare costs, transport costs and books/class materials. It is open to both full and part-time registered students on courses of not less than one year's duration leading to an undergraduate or postgraduate qualification. It is designed to provide a source of financial support in addition to a SUSI grant.
Applications can be made under the Student Assistance Fund (SAF) through the Access Office in the third level institution you are attending. They will have more information concerning their own HEI. More information on this fund and other supports are also available at www.studentfinance.ie
4. The need to alleviate stress on the student accommodation by other means
I am actively addressing the difficulties faced by students in accessing affordable student accommodation. Fundamentally the challenge of affordable student accommodation is one of supply of housing more generally.
The outbreak of war in Ukraine has compounded the impact of Brexit and Covid 19, with the rising cost of construction and fossil fuels posing significant difficulties for higher education institutions wishing to build new student accommodation. The higher cost of finance has also significantly contributed to the overall cost of new projects. A number of HEI’s have had to pause their student accommodation projects as a result of these challenges.
To assist in restarting the HEI projects, on 29 November 2022, I secured Government approval to develop both short and medium term policy responses to activate supply of affordable student accommodation.
These landmark policy responses will, for the first time, see the state providing financial support for the construction of student accommodation, and underpins the policy commitments set out in Housing for All and the National Access Plan. They will ensure increased availability of and promote greater access to student accommodation, in particular for disadvantaged students.
In November 2022, the Government approved funding to support the development of accommodation for students of the University of Limerick, Maynooth University and the University of Galway. In March 2023, further funding was secured for the delivery of 405 additional student accommodation beds in DCU. These developments have or will imminently have planning permission but had stalled as a result of increased construction costs.
My Department and the Higher Education Authority (HEA) are actively working through the financial and governance due diligence process for these projects and have contracted an external consultancy, Mazars, to undertake a feasibility study on these projects, in line with the Public Spending Code.
In addition, the Department is working with the Office of the Attorney General to ensure EU State Aid requirements are adhered to.
The Department is also examining a proposal with potential phasing options at UCD. TCD and UCC also have projects that could potentially benefit from the short-term activation scheme.
In the longer term, a broad range of methods to increase supply of student accommodation are under consideration. Support of €1m is being provided to our Technological Universities (TUs) to conduct a needs assessment and to identify appropriate regional activation responses. My Department is also examining the development of a TU Borrowing Framework in conjunction with other Government Departments, in line with the commitments in "Housing for All".
All higher education institutions continue to support their students to find accommodation in the private rental sector through, for example, the encouragement of room rental or ‘student digs’ in family homes.
My officials and I are continuing to work alongside our Government colleagues to examine the full range of measures that may assist students in finding appropriate accommodation.
