No Student Loans for UK Middle Class
by A Labour thinktank sent out a controversial report saying that middle class families shouldn’t be granted a student loan, because it was expensive for the government, and poorer students would benefit more. There are major flaws in this concept.
The government is said to be spending £5 billion on student support alone where 40% of the students get a full grant but is this really going to be helpful if the middle class are being made to take a considerable amount of financial assistance on their shoulders? This idea has so many flaws that it is necessary to highlight them. I come from a family where my sister and I only have a year’s difference in our ages but still, both of us will be joining university together because we study in the same year at school.
When both of us are off to university, my parents will have to share the costs of not one university going student, but two. Surely this will be the case in many other families where the siblings have an age difference of 1-4 years, enough to put both (or more) children into university at the same time. This means that parents will have to double the tuition fees and the living costs and if the students go to universities in expensive cities such as London, I shudder to think about the amount it will take them to facilitate a happy student life if they should take up the responsibility.
Also, the government seems to be intent on helping out the poor but the bright so what about those in the middle class who are equally bright? Should education be discriminated in terms of how much each family earns? The equally bright middle class students will have to claw their way into the system of education if only the poorest are favoured. It is a positive thing for the poorest to be given opportunities but I believe that if the government thinks that making a large number of middle class families suffer at the cost of the poor, the government has completely lost the plot. In my opinion, things are bad as they already are so instead of trying to add fuel to the fire; it is best if the situation stays as it is.
This plan just feels so unfeasible and I’m pretty sure there will be copious amounts of resistance from middle class families or should the government be relentless and carry on with this idea, I probably could predict a dip in the number of students off to university. Education shouldn’t be discriminated in terms of how much a family earns because even though the government think they are helping a part of the society, they are unjust to another.
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Post Commentraman13
On August 26, 2009 at 9:17 am
Very Informative
Best Regards
Jenny Heart
On August 26, 2009 at 9:31 am
Well written with much thoughfullness. Like it!
Christine Ramsay
On August 26, 2009 at 1:41 pm
I can see this could be a problem for some families. I think that if there are two siblings at university at the same time there will be help. We were in this situation when my son went to university and we had no help despite being in financial hardships ourselves. It was a really tough time but it was worth it. You put your arguments well.
Christine
Collette Edwards
On August 27, 2009 at 12:30 am
great artical, someone did their homework on this subject, Life isn’t always fair, All I can say is the same thing I’ve always told my kids, and still do lol “It will always get worse before it gets better” “D
Lostash
On August 28, 2009 at 7:00 pm
Interesting. I think that the granting of these should be means tested….maybe not a popular view! I also think that degrees are not really that important any more unless you are choosing a specific career path. I know of people that (for example) gain a degree in Biology, and end up on a management course in a bank? To me, thats a waste of a degree! I think that employers need to look more closely at the type of graduates they take on, with degrees relevant for that particular business. I’ve been a manager for many years, and it really makes me quite angry when existing, capable and experienced staff are overlooked for promotion in favour of graduates with degrees in an irrelevant subject. In my experience, they often make very poor managers too. With regard to the loan, maybe a scheme should be put in place that writes off a percentage of the loan if the candidate works in an industry relevant to the degree. Those that don’t should pay it back in full! What do you think?
Savvy Student
On September 11, 2009 at 6:49 am
A very well written and interesting artcle that raises many talking points. I\’m starting university next week and am extremely worried about how I will cope with the debt that comes from a 5-year medical degree. My family is in that awkward position of not being poor enough for help but not being rich enough to pay it for me. Surprisingly I was given a small amount of money as a grant from the government but enough to make a significant difference to my situation. I will be getting a small amount of help from my family but I don\’t see it fair that they should suffer for the sake of my education. What worries me further is that in 3 years time my sister will be starting university and then my parents will have to cope with the cost of two children at university. The government needs to stop chucking money at getting thousands of students pointless degrees that will not help them clear their debt and focus more on those who are following career-specific courses, though as you can see my view is slightly bias to say the least.