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A CO CLARE student has spoken of his frustration at being denied a maintenance grant for the third time in four years.
Raymond, 21, who asked that his surname not be used, says his latest grant application was rejected earlier this year as he was deemed not be “progressing” in enrolling on a level five course in the UK.
Student Universal Support Ireland (Susi), which processes grant applications, only approves funding for students with prior third-level education when they are advancing to a higher-level degree than their previous course.
Students who withdraw from a level eight course after a year, for example, are not eligible to receive funding for the first year of another level eight course, unless there is a five-year break in their studies.
But Raymond, who was born in Nigeria and brought up in Ennis, thinks the rule should be changed to accommodate students whose grant rejections have forced them out of education.
Two and a half years ago, he says he had no option but to drop out of a level seven course in the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology after Susi declined his funding application.
Raymond met Susi’s eligibility criteria at the time, as a student related to an EU citizen, but had mistakenly submitted his grant application with an immigration certificate registered under a parent’s name.
That was the reason given to him by a Susi official when he was told, shortly before his summer exams in 2013, that his application had been rejected.
“If Susi had told me this earlier I would have tried to get the [Garda National Immigration Bureau] card under my own name,” says Raymond, who moved to Ireland 11 years ago.
He claims to have been told on several occasions since the beginning of that academic year that his documents were in order and the payment would be forthcoming.
Difficulties
Raymond was awarded a grant for the following year, when he moved to Cork to study on a PLC course, but that too was cancelled after Susi allegedly told him a mistake had been made in approving his application.
His monthly €120 grant payment left him with just over €10 to spend on living expenses every week – he paid €70 a month to sleep on someone’s couch – and so when that cancelled he had to drop out, again.
Now, living in Birmingham, where he is studying for a diploma in marketing and events management, he walks every day to college and back, a two-hour round trip, because he can’t afford to get the bus.
His latest grant application has hit him hard, he says.
I don’t know what to do. All I want is a chance to progress but Susi wants to take another year of education from me.
Susi said it does not comment on individual cases when contacted for a response.
A spokesperson said repeat periods of study are not eligible for funding and that further information can be found on the Susi website, www.susi.ie.
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So where is the UN /NATO/ US/UK / any other world military hero to step in and stop this cruelty and genocide?
I suppose the region has nothing of worth to these ‘hero’ nations …
Heartbreaking what a lot of humans do to a lot of other humans
@Declan Hegarty: maybe he is gelded Declan.
@Skybloo: You are right. Why has no one stepped up to help?
These women who are being raped by strangers are also being blamed for the rape by their own families?
Inhuman.
@Skybloo: why would they want to that . Every time they get involve in other countries business their call occupiers or invaders . Oh look theirs the yanks invading other people’s countries again . The biggest terrorists on the planet .
Lovely husband to return after leaving his wife to be raped, then blaming her on his return, true love.
@Tony Gordon: It just goes to show the whole mindset over there. Its a huge part of the problem.
I am sure this makes for good bedtime reading for that witch Suu Kyi, hopefully at some future date the Hague and a dark cell awaits her.
What a disturbing article to read. Barbaric is an understatement. Those poor defenseless people. Predators rotten to the core.
@Duewest: it truly is disturbing, I couldn’t finish it after reading victims as young as 9 – S(umbags.
That’s a tough read but needs to be published worldwide to be made aware. Vermin like this need to be wiped out from society. Castrate every soldier who did this horrible act and may they have a very slow and painful death.
@Gerry Peyton: these crimes occur all over the world – Africa has a horrendous time. The UN is a failure when it comes to protecting innocent civilians. This is why people’s must be ready to defend themselves and military service can be very useful.
Caution needs to be exercised also as some events are exaggerated or outright falsified to manipulate opinions eg the Iraq girl testifiying in the US before the Gulf Corporate regime change invasion.
I haven’t seen any articles on the journal about what the western trained and armed ISIS did to Syrian Christians.
The incompatibility of different cultures is a big problem. If resources and space are plentiful then multiculturalism can work but when stresses occur these types of atrocities sadly occur.
@Gerry Peyton:
Just in case you don’t know or you forget there are 3 sides to every story the 3rd side being the truth. This whole latest sorry mess kicked off after the rape of young Myanmar girls by Rohingya men. Of course that doesn’t fit the narrative.
Cue Veronica blaming ALL men.
@Misanthrope: Sad, fragile little snowflake. Men gang raping and that’s all you have?
@Misanthrope: my god you really are pathetic
It’s impossible to understand how you could inflict such cruelty on someone.
Frightening to think most if not all of these rapists have wives and children, who inherit their DNA. What is it in humanity that when in a large pack, we can become so barbaric, think Nazi camps where soldiers committed atrocities, and then went home to their blonde children and went to Mass and sang Carols at Xmas?
How a gang of grown men can rape a child [or woman] is beyond me. No spoils to be had, hence nobody has come to their aid. Shame on us.
People couldn’t care less. That’s it in a nut shell. We are not worthy of the planet we have.
This is shocking. Even worse than Israel’s barbaric crimes against Palestinian women and children and that’s saying something. The UN needs to take a firmer approach.
If they’re going to be shot, stabbed, killed and raped anyway, they need to arm themselves. Every yank has a gun and can shoot someone for looking in their windows.
bomb the shit out of myanmar
have your say