Students to receive first of updated maintenance grant payments this month

Students will receive the first batch of supplementary stipends under the new maintenance grant system on 28 January, the Ministry for Education announced.

The payment will include grants for October, November and December. As from this scholastic year, students no longer receive their maintenance grant through a smart card but through direct deposits into their bank accounts.

On Tuesday, shadow education minister Therese Comodini Cachia said that students had expressed concern about the delay in being told whether they qualify for the grant or not.

“It was clearly emphasized that all applications were to be submitted through the respective stipends offices by not later than the 31st November 2014 accompanied by all relevant documentation as per same application,” the Ministry said in a statement.  “Furthermore the Student Maintenance Grant Board had decided that payments to all approved students were to be effected with the January stipend.”

The Ministry pointed out that there was a considerable increase in supplementary applicants this scholastic year, with the applications submitted by the end of November 2014 amounting to more than 2,000.

They added that students who have not yet presented the relevant grant documentation still have a chance to do so, and that a decision on their applicability will be communicated to them within a week.