(Title Image: Wales Online)
The Welsh Government will write-off a £3.25million loss as a result of student finance being wrongly awarded to part-time students eligible for additional support due to childcare or other caring responsibilities.
Education Secretary, Kirsty Williams (Lib Dem, Brecon & Radnor), said the grants had been awarded “in good faith”, but there was a misinterpretation of UK-wide regulations on student support.
Students who have been awarded the grants in error will still receive them for the 2018-19 academic year and won’t have to repay them. The Education Secretary also promised to look at internal procedures to prevent a repeat.
Commenting on the news, Shadow Education Secretary, Suzy Davies AM (Con, South Wales West) said, “Questions need to be answered as to which body was responsible for this, was due process followed, and why it was able to go on for so long? Wales had enough of this government losing its money through mismanagement.”
