Waitakere Ethnic Board (WEB) hosted an informative forum evening in Henderson early this month on the Government’s new policy on Tertiary allowance, restrictions and conditions placed by the changes.
National MP Simon O’Connor (MP) attended on behalf of Steven Joyce (Tertiary Education Minister), to explain government’s reasoning and rationale on the changes. He stated that the government was committed to tertiary education, but there needed to be a balance.
Comparing internationally, O’Connor highlighted that New Zealanders were better off. “Our system is generous where we still have interest free student loans, whereas Australia has interest. In United Kingdom and USA, no allowances are given to students studying at University,” he told the audience at Auckland Council Chambers at Henderson Central.
Student representative from Auckland University accused the government of being unreasonable by removing bonus or reward for payment of students’ loan if paid before time. O’Connor retorted that such incentive did not really work in practice. In an audience question, government was accused of being unfair to new migrants for requiring them to have two year grace period before they were entitled to student loan. On this O’Connor told the forum that migrants owed some responsibility for themselves. “When they migrate here, they should have some resources to carry them through before seeking help,” he said.
Martin Graham from the Auckland University Student’s Association and Kizito Essuman, President of the Student Association for the Auckland University of Technology (AUT) kept the government representative on his toes with point of view on behalf of the students and their concerns.
They stated that students of higher education were the only group of people in New Zealand forced to borrow in order to live. Those people who had completed postgraduate qualifications were usually the source from where the innovators come from and helped the country advance.
They also reiterated that education should be free and accessible to all, not just for those who could afford it. “Many students with student loans are struggling to repay and continue to study part time, especially for those with low incomes and it is becoming increasingly difficult to upgrade their qualifications, even though they would like to, “Graham told the forum.
Students’ representatives asked: How could people make quality changes in life when your choices were limited? They added that government’s new policies had a huge impact on young people pursuing
higher education, especially students who had completed an undergraduate degree. They said it was a concern to these students and their families to continue to study at post-graduate or doctoral level, with restrictions placed by the policy change.
Despite the fact it was mid week night, the forum had a packed audience. It included ethnic mix of like-minded people sharing the same concerns from the Asian, Indian, Middle Eastern, African, European, Maori and Pacific Island countries. Waitakere Ethnic Board is known to host such regular forums for people of ethnic origins to bring them abreast of issues and concerns affecting them collectively. The next forum to be held in the next quarter is expected to be on changes to immigration policies.
•Thakur Ranjit Singh is an executive of Waitakere Ethnic Board