STUDENT FINANCES REACH BREAKING POINT: WILL ANYONE TAKE ACTION?
9 March, 2007
The National Tertiary Education Union believes the Australian University Student Finances 2006 survey released today highlights the serious implications arising from the decreases in the proportion of university students receiving income support as well as the amount they are receiving.
“We believe the report makes it very clear that by continuing to reduce students’ access to income support, despite the increased costs of attending university through rising HECS fees and increased living and ancillary costs, the Government is placing the educational aspirations of tens of thousands of students in jeopardy,” said Dr Carolyn Allport, NTEU President.
“A large proportion of the students who took part in the survey reported that declines in Government support are forcing them to rely even further on paid work, a situation which the Union believes is having a significant detrimental impact on their studies.”
The Australian Vice-Chancellors’ Committee report, which details the findings of a national survey of student finances in public universities, finds that there has been a deterioration in undergraduate students’ financial situations since their previous survey was carried out in 2000.
“For Indigenous students, the figures are even worse, with Indigenous full time undergraduates in employment working on average three hours per week more than their non-Indigenous counterparts, and twice the number of Indigenous students than non-Indigenous students reporting that they regularly went without food or other necessities because they could not afford them.”
“This needs to be considered against the latest student statistics which show that the number of Indigenous higher education students declined by 5.9% in 2005,” said Dr Allport.
“Balancing work and study commitments, with the additional stress for many of living in poverty has serious implications for the educational experience of all students attending university as well as for their health and wellbeing.”
“It also has the potential to impact on students’ participation in and access to university, particularly for those groups who have traditionally been excluded from entry.”
“Students can not continue to bear the costs of the Government’s under-funding of our universities.”
“A comprehensive student income support scheme that enables those students most in need to be able to adequately support them while they study needs to be a key issue for all political parties in this election year.”
For Further Information and Comment Contact:
NTEU Policy and Research Coordinator Andrew Nette (03) 9254 1910
NTEU Policy and Research Officer Emma Cull (03) 9254 1910