asked the Minister for External Affairs if he is aware that the deadline for applications for grants for academic or educational purposes to go to the United States for graduate studies and research, provided by An Bord Scoláireachtaí Cómalairte is 17th August; that university honours degree examinations take place in September; and that the results are not available until the end of September or early October; and, if so, if he will request An Bord Scoláireachtaí Cómalairte to modify its requirements that applicants should hold a degree at the time of application and permit them to apply provisionally for consideration on the basis of the degree at the September examinations, so as to avoid the needless loss of a year in the case of these students.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Exchange Scholarship Grants.
The arrangements for the annual competition for the grants referred to by the Deputy are determined solely by An Bord Scoláireachtaí Cómalairte on which there are four members appointed by the Irish Government and three by the American Government.
I understand that the closing date for applications for the Autumn competitions, which this year is 17th August, is fixed by reference to the deadline set by the United States authorities for the receipt of particulars of successful candidates and the courses they wish to pursue in the United States.
The selection process must often be completed before the results of the University honours degree examinations are available in order that places can be arranged for successful candidates in American academic institutions in the following Autumn. Otherwise their placement would be delayed by an additional 12 months.
Perhaps the Minister would draw the attention of An Bord Scoláireachtaí to the fact that it might be possible to arrange on a provisional basis that those who apply would ultimately be considered if they had passed the examination? At present they are precluded and have to wait another year.
It has to be confined to people who have an honours degree and if there is any delay in the selection of these candidates, we would miss a year. Our candidates selected for courses in academic institutions in the United States are in competition with candidates from about 70 other countries. Therefore it is necessary that ours should get in in time and any delay might involve their not being placed the following year.
Perhaps they might consider discussing it with the universities to see if the dates could synchronise more closely.
It is vital to get the names of our candidates in in time.
I appreciate that, but the Minister can understand what happens is that a number of candidates who would probably be qualified do not know the results in time to make application because the honours examination does not take place early enough.
As the Deputy knows, these competitions have now been in being for seven years or so, and there is a new crop every year and the men and women who would be competing this autumn will be people who qualified the previous year, 1965, so that any delay might result in their not getting placed next autumn and they would have to wait still another year.