The cabinet’s decision to scrap student grants and replace them with loans will be discussed in parliament later on Wednesday but is unlikely to win support in the senate as it now stands.

Education minister Jet Bussemaker wants to scrap grants for Master students from 2015 and for Bachelor students in 2016 but has so far been unable to remove opposition concerns.

The D66 liberals and minor opposition party GroenLinks both want the government to put more cash into education in return for its support. They also want changes to the way interest over the loan is calculated.

The government has already been forced to delay its plans by a year because of the criticism

Students currently receive three sources of funding: a basic grant, a top-up grant for students from poorer families and a loan for richer students, and a free public transport card.

The basic grant is €279.14 for students who live away from home and €100.25 for home-based students.