Mature Student calls on Oireachtas Committee to review criteria for grant scheme
28 Apr 2008 11:07 AM
Yesterday, members of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Science heard a presentation about the contradictions of the Back to Education Allowance. Stephen Stewart, an adult learner, and member of AONTAS, the Adult Learners' Organisation, today explained to the Committee how he will graduate later this year with a debt of €20,000.
Stephen was previously employed in the construction sector, and decided at the age of 39 to go back to take a degree at NUI Maynooth. He discovered that because he had been employed, albeit on a low paid, temporary nature, he was not eligible to qualify for the Back to Education Allowance and therefore ineligible for the special rate maintenance 'Top Up' Grant.
Currently, a mature student from a low paid background is only entitled to €4,103 per year, while a mature student on social welfare may be entitled to up to €25,266 per year. 'Over a three year degree course this leads to a €63, 489 disparity in essential support' says Stephen.
AONTAS, the Adult Learning Organisation is calling on the government to take immediate action to make major changes to the scheme which is administered by the Department of Social and Family Affairs. The Back to Education allowance scheme was introduced in 1989 to provide an incentive to people on social welfare payments to improve their skills and qualifications so that they could return to employment.
'The economic climate in Ireland was very different when this incentive was first introduced with much higher unemployment levels' explained AONTAS Director, Berni Brady. 'One of the serious issues currently facing the Irish government is the task of up skilling 170,000 members of the workforce. Changes to the Back to Education Allowance would give these workers, who currently are on low incomes a serious incentive to pursue upskilling and further education.'
Stephen hopes that his lobbying work will change the situation for other adult learners. 'When I get a job, the government will take 42% of profits in tax. They will not pay 42% of the investment to make this profit, yet they want the rewards of this investment. I think this is most unfair, and I really don't want this to happen to anyone else', he said.
ENDS
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Notes to Editor
1. The Back to Education Allowance is a financial support allowing people in receipt of certain social welfare payments to retain those payments whilst participating in approved full-time courses in further and higher education. Approved programmes range from foundation courses to postgraduate courses. Participants receive a standard rate of payment that is not means-tested. It is administered by the Department of Social Community and Family Affairs.
2. AONTAS is the National Adult Learning Organisation. AONTAS is a non-government membership organisation, established in 1969. The organisation's mission is to ensure that every adult in Ireland has access to appropriate and affordable learning opportunities throughout their lives, thus enabling them to contribute to and participate in the economic, social, civic and cultural development of Irish society. AONTAS is a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee. AONTAS represents over 600 members, ranging from statutory providers of adult education, such as VECs and third level institutions, to voluntary providers of community education, to individual adult learners and those with a general interest in adult education. The role of AONTAS is to work towards improving the adult education sector in Ireland through policy development, promoting the benefits of adult education and research.
