Grants plummet

The number of higher education discretionary grants awarded dropped by 71 per cent from 1984 to 1994, and spending on them fell by 81 per cent in real terms, Government figures published this week reveal. The total number of award holders, for both mandatory and discretionary grants, rose by 75 per cent in the same period. Spending on mandatory grants increased by 85 per cent in real terms, but dropped by 25 per cent between 1993 and 1994.