Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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113. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she has considered suspending the proposed €65 increase in summer Gaeltacht fees that have risen to €815, given the difficulties faced by college students; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5026/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The current requirements for Gaeltacht Learning Periods (GLPs) for primary Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes takes the form of 2 x 2 week placements, which are outlined in the Teaching Council’s Céim: Standards for Initial Teacher Education.

Budget 2020 provided for the re-instatement of the grant to cover the full cost of the Gaeltacht Learning Periods (GLPs) for undergraduate and post-graduate students in State-funded primary ITE programmes, with effect from the 2020/2021 academic year. The grant was previously funded by my Department up to the 2012/2013 academic year, when it was ceased due to financial constraints. Whilst the Gaeltacht fees charged by HEIs has risen by €65 to €815, the rate of student grant paid my Department has correspondingly increased from €750 to €815. This will cover the cost of the undertaking the fortnightly course in 2023. This grant will be made available for undergraduate and post-graduate students in State-funded primary Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes.

The principal support provided by the Government in financial terms is the Student Grant Scheme. Under the terms of the Grant Scheme, grant assistance is awarded to students attending an approved course in an approved institution who meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means. The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter, in the first instance, for the centralised student grant awarding authority SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) to determine.

To satisfy the terms and conditions of the Student Grant Scheme in relation to progression, a student must be moving from year to year within a course, having successfully completed the previous year or be transferring from one course to another where the award for the subsequent course is of a higher level than the previous course. Therefore post graduate PME students may be eligible for financial assistance through the scheme.

The objective of this policy is to assist as many students as possible to obtain one qualification at each level of study, given that the scheme operates in the context of limited public funding and competing educational priorities.

Apart from the Student Grant Scheme, students in third-level institutions experiencing exceptional financial difficulty can apply for support under the Student Assistance Fund. This Fund assists students, in a sensitive and compassionate manner, who might otherwise be unable to continue their third level studies due to their financial circumstances. Information on the fund is available through the Access Officer in the third level institution attended. This fund is administered on a confidential, discretionary basis.