Friday, May 31, 2019
Wales leads the way on student finance with Welsh Lib Dem Minister
On the other side of Offa's Dyke, the outgoing Prime Minister has called on her successor to cut tuition fees and reintroduce student grants to assist young people study for their degree and cut the amount of debt they face on graduation. If only she had concentrated on measures like this when she had the opportunity.
This is especially so as Wales has already led the way with this reform, under a Welsh Liberal Democrats Education Minister. As is made clear here, Wales is now the only country in Europe to introduce equivalent maintenance support across full-time and part-time undergraduates, as well as postgraduates. It includes a means-tested maintenance grant to pay for living costs such as food, books and rent. This has resulted in a huge boost in students applying.
The Welsh Liberal Democrats have long argued that living costs are the biggest barrier to people studying at university. That is why, in government, Kirsty Williams has introduced a new package that ensures students receive the equivalent of the National Living Wage in grants and loans while they study.
The impact of this important reform is evidenced by the BBC, who report today that early figures from the Student Loans Company show a 35% rise in the number of students given financial support to study part-time this year. That increase reverses the trend over the last ten years of 45% drop in part-time undergraduates in Wales.
They cite the example of Heledd Campbell from Brynamman, Carmarthenshire has been studying for a psychology degree with the Open University since last autumn.:
"I studied after I left school but I ended up dropping out because I had severe depression and anxiety, and I couldn't manage to study and manage my mental health.
"I ended up just kind of coasting along in minimum wage jobs... paying rent in London which was expensive."
"Then my mental health really did take a turn for the worse, and I was signed off work by my doctor because of my depression for a couple of months, before I eventually had to stop working," she said.
"I ended up homeless. I only ended up rough sleeping for I think three nights total out of six months being homeless. Otherwise I just spent it couch-surfing.
"I had very good friends who let me stay with them so we just organised it that way. But otherwise it was a complete nightmare... it was an awful time"
Heledd got in touch with her parents saying she wanted to come home and they helped her with the move back to Wales in summer 2018.
At the same time she applied to study for a degree with the Open University.
"It meant that I could study and work part-time and I could look after my mental health at the same time, so it means that later on in my life I probably will be able to work full time and do something for myself."
She now works part-time as a support worker for young adults with learning disabilities and says the flexibility of her course suits her.
"I can have a bad day and then pick myself up afterwards so the studying is really great for someone like me."
Heledd says she'd like to take her studies further and end up doing a job supporting young people who've had similar problems with their mental health.
"Instead of me working minimum wage jobs and going on to sickness pay and all that sort of stuff it means that I can work now while studying and later I'll be contributing much more," she said.
This is the Liberal Democrats making a real difference in Government.
This is especially so as Wales has already led the way with this reform, under a Welsh Liberal Democrats Education Minister. As is made clear here, Wales is now the only country in Europe to introduce equivalent maintenance support across full-time and part-time undergraduates, as well as postgraduates. It includes a means-tested maintenance grant to pay for living costs such as food, books and rent. This has resulted in a huge boost in students applying.
The Welsh Liberal Democrats have long argued that living costs are the biggest barrier to people studying at university. That is why, in government, Kirsty Williams has introduced a new package that ensures students receive the equivalent of the National Living Wage in grants and loans while they study.
The impact of this important reform is evidenced by the BBC, who report today that early figures from the Student Loans Company show a 35% rise in the number of students given financial support to study part-time this year. That increase reverses the trend over the last ten years of 45% drop in part-time undergraduates in Wales.
They cite the example of Heledd Campbell from Brynamman, Carmarthenshire has been studying for a psychology degree with the Open University since last autumn.:
"I studied after I left school but I ended up dropping out because I had severe depression and anxiety, and I couldn't manage to study and manage my mental health.
"I ended up just kind of coasting along in minimum wage jobs... paying rent in London which was expensive."
"Then my mental health really did take a turn for the worse, and I was signed off work by my doctor because of my depression for a couple of months, before I eventually had to stop working," she said.
"I ended up homeless. I only ended up rough sleeping for I think three nights total out of six months being homeless. Otherwise I just spent it couch-surfing.
"I had very good friends who let me stay with them so we just organised it that way. But otherwise it was a complete nightmare... it was an awful time"
Heledd got in touch with her parents saying she wanted to come home and they helped her with the move back to Wales in summer 2018.
At the same time she applied to study for a degree with the Open University.
"It meant that I could study and work part-time and I could look after my mental health at the same time, so it means that later on in my life I probably will be able to work full time and do something for myself."
She now works part-time as a support worker for young adults with learning disabilities and says the flexibility of her course suits her.
"I can have a bad day and then pick myself up afterwards so the studying is really great for someone like me."
Heledd says she'd like to take her studies further and end up doing a job supporting young people who've had similar problems with their mental health.
"Instead of me working minimum wage jobs and going on to sickness pay and all that sort of stuff it means that I can work now while studying and later I'll be contributing much more," she said.
This is the Liberal Democrats making a real difference in Government.
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I am all for the Open University to be expanded. Earn a wage AND study for improvement so that the country can train the people we need for the future.
The Govnt extension to 40 years should not happen. Those who can afford it will pay off the money quickly. Others on less income will be hit by having to pay the interest for a further 10 years.NOT a level playing field.
Good for Wales.
The Govnt extension to 40 years should not happen. Those who can afford it will pay off the money quickly. Others on less income will be hit by having to pay the interest for a further 10 years.NOT a level playing field.
Good for Wales.
Perhaps I missed it, but Mrs May appears to have said nothing about the punitive interest rate applied to student loan.
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