THE Finance Ministry yesterday promised that Cypriots studying abroad would soon receive their grants, which are overdue in many cases.
A spokesman at the Ministry explained that the delay “has been caused by too many students applying for grants, with the exact numbers very difficult to forecast.”
He added that “the 2005 budget has been spent and we are now going to take a new budget to parliament for approval. Students and their parents will receive the money that they are owed by the end of this month or the beginning of December at the latest. Nobody is going to lose out and they shouldn’t worry.”
He explained that the Ministry forecasts the number of students eligible for grants based on previous years’ figures and said that it was “very important that people submit their application forms on time”.
Once approved, a cheque is sent out.
The spokesman was responding to a complaint from the mother of a PhD student in Britain who has yet to receive her grant.
The mother, who wished to remain anonymous, explained that she has “been waiting for a £1,000 grant since July. I have made six calls to the Finance Ministry to try and find out what’s going on and they told me that they’ve run out of money and are waiting for parliament to approve further funds. They suggested I contact parliament myself and have given me no indication as to when I can expect to receive the money.
“This is my daughter’s second year of her PhD in aeronautical engineering and the grant we are waiting for is actually for 2004. This was approved back in July. I haven’t yet applied for her 2005 grant, as applications have to be in by January.
“What makes me particularly angry is the fact that the government can find the funds to buy expensive new BMWs for ministers and then claim that they’ve run out of money to help parents with their children’s education. It’s not just the money, as we can survive without an extra £1,000, but the principle behind it and the attitude of parliament who can’t seem to get their act together. They know that they have a certain number of students abroad, so why can’t they approve all grants on time?”
