Food parcels being given to struggling students – Crowe

Local representative Deputy Seán Crowe has said that student unions are now having to set up food parcels for students who are finding it too difficult to afford basic food items due to grant delays in getting their maintenance payment.

The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has backed up the claims stating that many Third Level students are struggling and unable to pay for rent and food due to the on-going delays in the processing of their grants.

Deputy Seán Crowe said:

“We are now into the second term of the college year and there are still 5,500 students out there who have yet to receive any of their grant payment. The delays have always been a source of great stress for those affected but the situation is now at crisis point.

“I am also extremely concerned at the news that students may be forced to drop out of their courses because they are hungry or because they cannot afford somewhere to live close to their college. This is the new the reality for students in the Ireland of 2013.

“The new student delivery payment or SUSI system has been an unqualified failure for government and a  disaster for thousands of students awaiting their vital financial supports. Sinn Féin has constantly highlighted that the website requires major improvements and the need for a proper tracking process is obvious.

“Late last year we also raised our growing concerns about the standard of communications in relation to the status of grant applications which we and others regarded as being extremely poor. The ongoing problems with the helpdesk staff being under-resourced or the deeper flaws with the system are being deliberately and officially being played down.

“The new system was supposed to improve the processing system but students complain that it is cumbersome and inefficient. The long delays would suggest even to the most optimistic that under its present format it’s not up to the job.

“Last year, I thought that there was a possibility that the government did not realise the very real hardship that these delays were causing thousands of  students. As the delay continues into  this year it  seems that they are more than aware of the problem but that they simply don’t have the wherewithal to give the resources to fix the new SUSI system.”