Written Answers. - Higher Education Grants.
Gay Mitchell
Ceist:
162
Mr. G. Mitchell
asked the
Minister for Education and Science
the grant entitlements of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 6W who intends doing a Montessori teaching diploma course which would be recognised by his Department for teaching in special primary schools.
[8533/99]
Under the terms of the higher education grant scheme maintenance grants are tenable in respect of approved full time undergraduate courses of not less than two years duration or a full time postgraduate course pursued in an approved institution.
The two year full time course leading to the International Montessori Diploma and the three year full time course leading to the International Montessori Diploma in the Montessori College, (AMI) are approved courses for the purposes of the higher education grants scheme.
On the basis that the student in question will be at least 23 years of age on 1 January of the year of entry to an approved course and has not been ordinarily resident with her parents from the preceding 1 October, she will be eligible to apply for a higher education maintenance grant as an independent mature candidate. The reckonable income for the purposes of the means test will be that of the candidate and her spouse, if applicable, for the year ended 5 April of the year of entry to the course.
Under the existing terms of the student support schemes, the rate of maintenance grant payable is determined by reference to the distance from the student's normal residence to the college which she-he is attending. In the case of independent mature students, normal residence is defined as the address of the candidate while in attendance at college. If this address is 15 miles or less from the college which she-he is attending, the adjacent rate of maintenance grant is payable. If the address is more than 15 miles from the college, the non-adjacent rate of grant is payable. However, where an independent mature student can produce supporting evidence that she-he is maintaining a residence other than his or her address while attending college, it will be open to the awarding authority to regard that address as the candidate's normal residence.
I previously indicated my concern about mature students generally and independent mature students in particular in regard to the rate of grant payable in accordance with the provisions of the schemes. With effect from the coming academic year all eligible mature students will qualify for the higher non-adjacent rate of maintenance grant. This improvement is estimate to cost £2.4 million over the next two years. This cost will be met from the additional £6.9 million which I am allocating over the next two years to tackle educational disadvantage at third level.
The new arrangements will be provided for in the context of the 1999 student support schemes, which will be available later in the year. Accord ingly the student in question should apply, in due course, to Dublin Corporation in order to have her eligibility for grant assistance as an independent mature candidate assessed.
