asked the Minister for Education if she will extend the approved list under the VEC scholarship scheme by including the two-year diploma course for medical secretaries (offered by the Northwest College of Technology, Derry); and if she will make a statement on the matter with reference to cross border co-operation on educational matters.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - VEC Scholarship Scheme.
1.
The two-year course for medical secretaries which is conducted by the North-west College of Technology, Derry, and which qualifies for the Diploma of the Royal Society of Arts is not acceptable for the purposes of the award of a scholarship under the scheme of scholarships operated by vocational education committees having regard to the entry qualifications for the course and the academic attainments required for awards under the VEC scholarships scheme.
On a general level, the Government decided in 1982 that VEC scholarships could be tenable at approved courses in third-level educational institutions in Northern Ireland on a pilot basis for a period of three years. There are seven students at present attending courses in Northern Ireland under this scheme.