Aisling Curtis | Senior Staff Writer
Students of Dental Nursing and Dental Hygiene courses in Trinity College Dublin and University College Cork have had their grants reinstated by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) following widespread complaints. The funding body has also apologised to students affected by the move.
Thirty-nine students were informed last week that their funding was to be suspended following an internal audit review of awarded grants. Their courses failed to comply with certain criteria, as they do not lead to a major award at level 7 of the National Framework of Qualifications.
Alongside the suspension, SUSI also stated that it was considering whether students would have to repay grant money allocated between September and December of this academic year. Furthermore, it was also announced that the funding body may withdraw its financial support towards payment of the €2,500 student contribution fee.
However, following talks with the Department of Education, the courses have been approved for funding and grants have been restored to the affected students. Any arrears are to be paid as soon as possible.
Trinity College Students’ Union collaborated with the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) in efforts to find a resolution to this issue. Stephen Garry, Welfare Officer for TCDSU, stated that the Union intends to “work closely with USI and SUSI in the future should further issues of this nature arise.”
The USI also welcomed the move, stating that they have been “working alongside the Department of Education and Skills and SUSI with a view to reaching a favourable conclusion for these students.”
SUSI faced controversy in the 2013/14 academic year as many students experienced delays in receiving their grants, with 565 applications still awaiting processing in July 2013. However, this academic year has already seen final decisions made on all completed applications received, with 52,000 grants awarded thus far.
