At last week’s Democratic National Convention, a myriad of speakers proclaimed that President Obama had doubled the funding for Pell Grants, but as anybody who receives the popular grant knows, the money they receive has done anything but double. It makes one wonder, what is the truth about Pell Grants?

Well the truth of this matter is a bit murky, but there is a miniscule amount of truthiness here. In fact, the amount a student can receive every year in Pell Grants did go up recently, but only by $85, to a maximum of $5,635, starting in the 2013-14 academic year. However, a mere $85 a year raises conflicts with what some Democrats were touting at this year’s convention.

“We are demanding more from our schools, but we’re backing up that demand by investing more in teachers, increasing financial aid and doubling funding for Pell Grants”, said Montana Governor, Brian Schweitzer at the 2012 Democratic National Convention.

This ‘doubling funding for Pell Grants’ was a common thread woven throughout the convention speeches, but some quick research reveals that there may be some subterfuge going on at DNC headquarters regarding the funding of Pell Grants. It turns out that the Obama administration may have sacrificed a lot of the rules and benefits in order to save the fixed rate of federally-subsidized student loans.

Recently the Obama administration fought the Republicans who wanted to increase the percentage rate of all new federally-subsidized student loans. This percentage-rate increase would have made going to college out of reach to many who do not qualify for needs-based financial aid. The Obama administration won this fight and the percentage rate re¬mains 3.4 percent for the subsidized student loans, but the price they paid for this was kept quiet to most.

In the past, students who qualified could keep receiving their Pell Grants for nine years (or 18 semesters), but after the new deal went through, a student will now stop receiving their grants after six years (or 12 semesters)—even if they are close to graduating. Also, the clock starts ticking the moment you start school and remedial courses are not exempt from this new restriction. This deal may not prevent some students from going to college, but it might be an impediment to a student being able to afford to finish college.

Lastly, this new deal makes a high school diploma one of the re¬quirements for qualification for Pell Grant funding. This means that a student who dropped out of high school years ago, but has later returned to community college with hopes of turning his/her life around, does not get the benefit of Pell Grants to help them on their quest for education anymore. But that did not stop the Democrats from publicizing their inflated increases to Pell Grant.

Our president has already dou¬bled Pell Grants, raised education standards, invested in research and development at our universities and early childhood education in our neighborhoods,” said Newark Mayor Cory Booker during his speech at the 2012 Democratic National Convention.

The sad thing about all of this is that the Republican’s proposals regarding higher education are even worse. According to the national re¬form organization Education Trust, the Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan’s budget would cut Pell Grant funding for over 1,000,000 students over the next ten years.

So we are stuck with an awful plan, and our only alternative is worse. What needs to happen in this country is a total sea change in our education policy. If U.S. politicians are serious about making America #1 in the world again economically, scientifically, and ethically, we are going to have to start by making education a right of citizenship, and not something that can be bargained away by affluent men in a dark and smoke-filled room.