11 Oct Financial and Mental health supports to aid Mayo third-level students – Dillon

Funding of €17.2 million in the Student Hardship Fund and an additional €5 million for wellbeing measures will ensure that third-level students from across Mayo will have access to vital financial and mental health supports, Fine Gael TD Alan Dillon has said.

Deputy Dillon said, “I know for listening to many third-level students from across Mayo the pandemic and remote learning in particular took a toll on their mental health. Now, as students are now returning to university and college campuses, we need to make sure that additional measures are in place so that students can access the support they need.

Local Institutions allocated Mental Health and Wellbeing Funding

HEI	Total Allocation by Higher Education Institution
GMIT	€      165,000
NUIG	€      350,000
IT Sligo	€      151,000

 

The mental health funding will be used to:

• recruit additional Student Counsellors
• recruit additional Assistant Psychologists
• train HEI staff to enable them to support and refer students to appropriate services
• raise awareness among students of mental health and wellbeing services available, including through student outreach activities
• support implementation of the National Student Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Framework
• support implementation of the Framework for Consent in HEIs; Safe, Respectful, Supportive and Positive: Ending Sexual Harassment in Irish Higher Education Institutions

“Along with mental health services, I know that the Student Hardship Fund is a vital support for many Mayo third level students. It provides financial help to students who experience monetary difficulties while attending college.

“Minister Harris has confirmed €17 million in funding for the Student Hardship Fund, which will go towards helping students with costs such as books, rent and utility bills, food, travel and more.”

Local Institutions allocated Student Hardship Funding

Institution	Total SAF allocation (General + PT + additional)
Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology	576,587
National University of Ireland, Galway	1,247,332
Institute of Technology, Sligo	615,350

 

Speaking on the announcement of the funding, Minister Harris said, “Students have endured an incredibly difficult 18 months due to Covid-19. They are now back on campus, but they still need significant support – financial and other. Today’s funding of €22 million is a direct investment in students to ensure the support they need is in place as they transition from remote to on-campus learning.”