Also, residency should not be more important than nationality. Irish citizens who have had to reside abroad for more than the most recent five years should be able to access maintenance grants. Currently young Irish people whose parents' had to move their families outside for Ireland (during the prospective student's childhood or teenage years) often cannot return home to study despite free tuition fees because they cannot afford to do so without access to the maintenance grant scheme or at the very least, some central student loan company supported by the government. Meanwhile children of non-Irish families who moved to the country within the last 5 years can access free fees and a grant. This is grossly unfair. Irish citizens are paying fees and loans in the UK especially because their own government is not supporting thrm to come back to Ireland to study and then have careers and lives in their own country.
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