The Education Ministry yesterday said that a number of students who are repeating a course or began a course in another post-secondary educational institution are protesting because they are not receiving a student maintenance grant.

The ministry said these complaints have also resulted in reports on the media and a Parliamentary Question (PQ).

As stated by Minister Louis Galea while replying to the PQ, the ministry said that according to Legal Notice 165 of 1999, students who used to receive their stipend and have either repeated a particular course year or restarted a course at the same level will not be entitled to a stipend for that period.

There was a lot of movement between the various post-secondary entities in the country, said the ministry, adding that Malta College for Arts Science and Technology (MCAST) students filed their cases before the Student Maintenance Grants Board.

Minister Galea asked the board to consider the cases individually and to pronounce whether these cases can be solved within the law’s remit.

In the meantime, the ministry announced it has already given out Lm100 to students via their Student Maintenance Grants cards in order to help the students buy their textbooks and educational material.