https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/un...110818184.html
For dear old Freako, this relates to the proposal by HMG to remove the maintenance grant from the poorest students.
Then again, a proper apprenticeship would be better.
Though, of course, since the demise of the Industry Training Boards under the Milk Snatcher, it's debatable if such a thing as a proper apprenticeship still exists.
For dear old Freako, this relates to the proposal by HMG to remove the maintenance grant from the poorest students.
Then again, a proper apprenticeship would be better.
Though, of course, since the demise of the Industry Training Boards under the Milk Snatcher, it's debatable if such a thing as a proper apprenticeship still exists.
University is no longer a place for the poor.
The Government's latest plan to phase out student grants is abhorrent, says Katie Morley
If the Government goes ahead with reported plans to remove university grants for Britain’s poorest students it will be making a terrible mistake.
Such a move would fly in the face of the Conservative party's most prominent message: that it will ensure those who work hard are rewarded.
On an individual level the implications of stripping this financial support from young people are grim.
Thousands of bright and talented students from modest backgrounds, having worked hard to get good A-levels, will suffer severe poverty if they choose to further their education. And many more will be deterred from going to university altogether.
Currently university grants provide students with just over £3,000 a year in non-repayable cash if their parents earn less than £25,000 a year. All students also have access to maintenance loans, but in reality these are far from adequate unless topped up by parental support.
The maximum maintenance loan is £5,740 (£8,010 in London), which, after paying rent, leaves students living on peanuts (one report last year put the figure at £11 a week). This places a huge burden on parents to help out. But millions can't afford to, which is why the government grants are so important. It's true that universities also hand out bursaries and scholarships, but they are few and far between. * Why your student loan could end up costing more than you thought * Martin Lewis: 10 tweaks I'd make to Britain * Student loans: the real cost could be £40,000 more than official estimates If ministers are prepared to remove this funding, it follows that they would be happy to see poorer students living at home, choosing shorter courses, or taking up apprenticeships instead.
For many young people (from all backgrounds) these compromises would probably prove quite sensible. Our universities are littered with poor value, time-wasting degree courses, designed to cater to the masses. Just 50pc of graduates are managing to get real graduate-level jobs five years after they’ve earned their degrees.
The initial excitement of getting a degree wears off fast for some
But to force people who can’t afford university to make these compromises while wealthier students are free to choose the path that suits them best is abhorrent and unjustifiable.
If the Government must save money then let it cut funding for poor quality degrees, not make life more difficult for students in less well-off segments of society.
Should ministers decide to abolish the grants, I worry that a growing number of bright youngsters will miss out on university all together, on the grounds that they believe that university is no longer a place for the poor.
The Government's latest plan to phase out student grants is abhorrent, says Katie Morley
If the Government goes ahead with reported plans to remove university grants for Britain’s poorest students it will be making a terrible mistake.
Such a move would fly in the face of the Conservative party's most prominent message: that it will ensure those who work hard are rewarded.
On an individual level the implications of stripping this financial support from young people are grim.
Thousands of bright and talented students from modest backgrounds, having worked hard to get good A-levels, will suffer severe poverty if they choose to further their education. And many more will be deterred from going to university altogether.
Currently university grants provide students with just over £3,000 a year in non-repayable cash if their parents earn less than £25,000 a year. All students also have access to maintenance loans, but in reality these are far from adequate unless topped up by parental support.
The maximum maintenance loan is £5,740 (£8,010 in London), which, after paying rent, leaves students living on peanuts (one report last year put the figure at £11 a week). This places a huge burden on parents to help out. But millions can't afford to, which is why the government grants are so important. It's true that universities also hand out bursaries and scholarships, but they are few and far between. * Why your student loan could end up costing more than you thought * Martin Lewis: 10 tweaks I'd make to Britain * Student loans: the real cost could be £40,000 more than official estimates If ministers are prepared to remove this funding, it follows that they would be happy to see poorer students living at home, choosing shorter courses, or taking up apprenticeships instead.
For many young people (from all backgrounds) these compromises would probably prove quite sensible. Our universities are littered with poor value, time-wasting degree courses, designed to cater to the masses. Just 50pc of graduates are managing to get real graduate-level jobs five years after they’ve earned their degrees.
The initial excitement of getting a degree wears off fast for some
But to force people who can’t afford university to make these compromises while wealthier students are free to choose the path that suits them best is abhorrent and unjustifiable.
If the Government must save money then let it cut funding for poor quality degrees, not make life more difficult for students in less well-off segments of society.
Should ministers decide to abolish the grants, I worry that a growing number of bright youngsters will miss out on university all together, on the grounds that they believe that university is no longer a place for the poor.
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