University students ‘will not lack funding’
Wednesday 18th February 2009, 2:59PM GMT.
EDUCATION Minister James Reed insists that Jersey students will not be denied university funding, despite an expected 7.8% rise in the number of applications this year.
The States currently pay almost £10 million a year to support university students but could face a bigger bill this year with more students applying to study in the UK.
Deputy Reed says that he will dip into the Stabilisation Fund to cope with a higher demand for places and funding if his budget runs short. The recession is making it harder for young people to go straight into jobs after leaving school, with the result that many more are expected to try to get into university.
UCAS, which administers university applications, says it has seen a 7.8% increase in applications on last year, with 481,784 new students applying to start courses in September.
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They already lack funding. First of all because the ceiling for grants is set at £50K, so if both parents are earning an average salary you don’t get anything and if you’re paying the normal rent or a mortgage that isn’t taken into consideration so how can you afford these fees?
Secondly, the “top-up” fees have been passed across to the parents as well so even “local” university courses aren’t free for most parents either.
The fact that Polish students receive a free university education is forcing local students to go to university simply to be able to obtain an interview and compete on an even playing field.
The funding shouldn’t remain static – it should be more!
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Nellie,
University students are increasingly deciding to move away from the island following graduation. One must consider whether it is worth investing in human capital that will be likely utilised elsewhere!
It would be more viable to offer a low interest loan as in the UK which students can pay back over a period of many years.
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All university students from Jersey should be funded equally and without prejudice.It is fundamental social policy throughout Europe that education, and that includes university, is not means tested.Jersey needs to wake up and realize that its present policy of means testing the parents of potential university students is fundamentally wrong. Young people in early adulthood, having worked hard, should not have to find themselves in the position that they have to depend on their parents funding to decide their destiny.
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