Mr. Pierce Connolly:

I thank Ms O'Sullivan and the chairperson. My name is Pierce Connolly and I am president of students' union in Griffith College, Dublin. I have gone into my fourth year of a full-time QQI approved degree in journalism.

I am eligible for a SUSI grant as only one of my parents works. The reason I established the Wake Up SUSI campaign was because of the unfairness and inequity in the current system. As president of a students’ union, like Ms O’Sullivan, I have seen a lot of students who are struggling. I want to make the committee aware that the State pays €5 million each year for students to go to the UK and over €2 million to students in private colleges that have partnerships with institutes of technology but yet the State will not fund us. I have also discovered that more than 400 students receive SUSI funding even though they attend private for-profit colleges that have partnerships with institutes of technology. I shall discuss further details of this matter with the committee but shall now hand over to Mr. Byrne.