MPs demand more after govt raises student grant budget

Members of the House education committee on Wednesday called on the government to do more for students after it had last week announced increases to the student grant budget to €62 million.

Disy MP Prodromos Alambritis, for example, said that while the bill is “a step forward”, his party remains dissatisfied.

“More categories of our fellow people should have been taken into account so that more families could enjoy student grants,” he said, before pointing out that since the grant was first introduced, the cost of living has increased by 24 per cent.

“The expansion of the income criteria should at least have equalled this amount,” he said.

He also said that “special provisions” should have been included in the student grant framework for families with three children, as well as families with two or more children who are studying at the same time.

Akel MP Christos Christofides, meanwhile, also said that the increase is “not satisfactory”, while also saying that he believes that the government’s announcement that the planned increase of the budget to €62m will not see the amount of grants offered to students rise to that figure from the current €48m.

“With the changes made by the government, the maximum cost will be €11.2m,” he said, before suggesting that the remaining €2.8m may be allocated to “previous debts that the state scholarships foundation owes to students”.

On this matter, he said that “if the state scholarships foundation owes almost €3m, it is a scandal”.

He also stressed that the announced ten-per-cent increase to the maximum amount offered per student – from €1,710 per year to €1,881 per year – is insufficient, given that it works out at just €14.25 per student per month.

“The increase cannot just be this €15 per month for students, especially those who are in greatest need and whose parents’ incomes are below €44,000,” he said.

As such, he added, “there should have been a more generous expansion of the criteria and there should have been special arrangements for families with many children”.

He also called for another committee meeting to be held on the matter, with Finance Minister Makis Keravnos and other stakeholders in attendance, so as to discuss the matter further,

Dipa MP Alekos Tryfonides’ criticism was milder, though he did say that the government’s plan “continues to fail to meet the needs of large families”.

Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis had announced the increase to the student grant budget last month.

He said that all the family income brackets regarding the grant will increase by €5,000, meaning that students from households earning as much as a combined €44,000 per year will now be eligible for the maximum grant amount, while grants will be extended to students from households earning as much as a combined €64,000 per year.

At the same time, he said, “a ten-per-cent increase is foreseen in the level of student grants offered for [students from] families with an annual income of up to €44,000, essentially strengthening their income in a period of increased educational and family needs”.

He also announced that students from families with five or more children will now be eligible for grants regardless of their families’ income levels, saying that “welfare for large families is also of particular importance”.