asked the Minister for Education the reason the criteria for VEC grants has been changed from five leaving certificate passes to two honours given that the majority of VEC courses only require five passes for entry.
Written Answers. - VEC Grants.
601.
The proposal to change the criteria from five leaving certificate passes to two honours was based essentially on the consideration that reliance on five passes only has been tending to operate in practice to restrict the range of courses for which such a standard of attainment would qualify candidates for admittance.
As I stated in a reply to a parliamentary question on Wednesday, 23 February 1983, for the purpose of avoiding any misunderstanding in relation to the matter, the relevant circular letter dealing with the conditions for the award of VEC scholarships will not be issued prior to consultation with representatives of the educational interest concerned. The conditions to be prescribed for the 1983-84 academic year have not yet therefore been finalised.