This article is from page 14 of the 2012-02-28 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 14 JPG
A CLARE third-level student will have to wait to find out whether her legal appeal against changes to the criteria for third-level grants will be successful.
The Union of Students of Ireland (USI) have brought the High Court challenge on behalf of North Clare student Mebh McCarthy, who studies at NUI Galway, as well as Dundalk IT student Robert Johnson and Iesha Rowan who is studying at the Galway Mayo Institute of Technology.
The evidence was heard in the High Court last Friday, February 24, with the judge choosing to “reserve judgement”. It is thought that a final decision on the case could be two weeks away or more.
The case has been brought against the Student Services Act which was introduced last year. The act changes the rules for third-level grants, increasing the distance that a student would have to live away from the educational institution from 24 kilometres to 45 kilometres.
Under the new rules, Mebh – who lives between Ballyvaughan and New Quay in North Clare – would be considered to live “adjacent” to NUI, Galway and with a commutable distance to the university.
The case is being seen as a test case by hundreds of students in Clare who will have their grants reduced if the new system is enforced.
Mebh is currently in receipt of a grant of between € 6,100 and € 6,700 per year to go towards rented accommodation and maintenance while she studies in NUI, Galway.
If the decision is not reversed, it will lead to a loss of between € 2,440 to € 3,900 towards her maintenance in college next year.
With no effective public transport in place in the North Clare area, Mebh will not be able to reach Galway City for college each day until after 11am. Despite working to support herself during her time in college, she is not in a position to make up the shortfall in the grants payment.
According to the Minister for Education, Ruairi Quinn (LAB), the change in policy was put in place to reflect the improving public transport network in Ireland – which, he claims, has made it easier for students to commute to work.