Just 22% of Offaly college grant applications decided

Just slightly more than a fifth of all student grant applications received by new central processing body SUSI from Offaly students have been decided. Figures supplied by the Department of Education in reply to a recent parliamentary question reveal that just 266 Offaly applications of a total of 1,192 - or 22.32% - have been decided. Fianna Fail's Barry Cowen said this week the situation has left him gravely concerned about struggling students, many of whom are awaiting a decision on a grant almost two months after college terms began. Meanwhile Sinn Fein's Brian Stanley slammed the new online system as a failure. The same parliamentary question saw Education Minister Ruairi Quinn confirm that 72% of grant applications processed so far this year have been refused, while 78% of applicants are still waiting to hear back from the Department of Education. "The situation is extremely serious," Deputy Cowen said. "Just over 20% of applications from students in Offaly have been decided upon. It seems unbelievable to me that the Department has rejected three out of every four applications processed to date. This is leaving students without badly needed grants that they're entitled to, almost two months after the start of the college term." With over 1,100 Offaly applicants still waiting for grant decisions from SUSI, and some 60,000 similar applicants nationwide in the same boat, Deputy Stanley said the new system is not working as it should. "The new centralised SUSI online system was supposed to make the process of applying for a grant a good deal easier but regrettably, there have been serious flaws which have resulted in delayed payments, poor communication and inadequate responses to applications and document submissions," he said. "The consequences for students and their families cannot be overstated and my constituency office has been contacted by many worried parents and students who have been left in dire straits."