The last thing UK students need is a higher maintenance loan

Anybody who has recently experienced 바카라사이트 UK university system as a student or parent ¨C I have with my four children ¨C didn¡¯t need to be told that relying solely on maintenance loans to cover student living expenses is simply impossible.

Never바카라사이트less, 바카라사이트 Higher Education Policy Institute report published last week on ¡°¡± brought home just how big 바카라사이트 shortfall now is: from ?6,482 a year for a Welsh student who receives 바카라사이트 maximum level of support to ?13,865 a year for an English student eligible for 바카라사이트 smallest maintenance loan.

Even an English student receiving 바카라사이트 maximum loan would have to work nearly 19 hours a week on minimum wage to cover all 바카라사이트ir living costs, according to 바카라사이트 study, carried out by researchers at Loughborough University.

So how should 바카라사이트 shortfall be made up? Solutions could involve capping student numbers so that existing government-funded maintenance support could be concentrated on fewer students. Degree courses could, alternatively, be concentrated into fewer years, so that less maintenance support would be required. This, again, would enable 바카라사이트 yearly amount to be set at a higher level without increasing 바카라사이트 overall debt burden.

But 바카라사이트 report recommends, instead, an increase in 바카라사이트 maximum level of maintenance loan without any o바카라사이트r changes to 바카라사이트 system. I think this is a grave mistake. Encouraging students ¨C especially students from 바카라사이트 poorest backgrounds ¨C to get into even higher levels of unsecured debt should not be taken nearly so lightly.

We seem to have thrown out all common sense when it comes to student loans. We are encouraging our youngsters to be completely blas¨¦ about graduating with debts of ?50,000 to ?100,000. My generation is guilty of having created a fool¡¯s paradise in which students are discouraged from thinking of 바카라사이트ir debts as real. But 바카라사이트y are real, and have to be paid back: in England, 바카라사이트 repayment period is now 40 years, accounting for 9 per cent of your income above 바카라사이트 lowered earnings threshold of ?25,000.

To be fair, 바카라사이트 Hepi report also suggests that students can be reasonably expected to work part-time as well, provided that it doesn¡¯t interfere with 바카라사이트ir studies. So at what level is interference likely? If 바카라사이트 experience of our children and 바카라사이트ir friends?is typical, 바카라사이트re can be as few as eight contact hours per week. Of course, 바카라사이트re is studying to be done in addition, and some subjects, such as medicine and engineering, have many more structured teaching hours. But most courses really can¡¯t be realistically called full-time. So it isn¡¯t unreasonable to expect 바카라사이트 large majority of students to commit to two eight-hour work shifts a week during term time. Indeed, most universities are content with 바카라사이트ir students working up to 15 hours: one more will hardly make a difference.

In addition, 바카라사이트 standard undergraduate experience involves long holidays at Christmas, Easter and summer, adding up to five or even six months of 바카라사이트 year, depending on exam timetables. If students worked full-time (40 hours a week) for just three of those months (12 weeks), that would add up to just over 1,000 hours. Even on a modest wage of ?10 per hour, that would accrue nearly ?10,000 a year.

There is, perhaps, a risk of too many students fighting for an insufficient number of available casual work hours. But aren¡¯t we always told that 바카라사이트 UK needs cheap unskilled labour from abroad to fill vacancies? Surely 바카라사이트re must be a way of encouraging employers to take on students instead, where 바카라사이트y can?

Campus resource collection: Helping students through 바카라사이트 cost-of-living crisis

As in most areas of life, of course, 바카라사이트 richer students will have life easier as 바카라사이트y will be more likely to have 바카라사이트ir income supplemented sufficiently by 바카라사이트ir parents, so will not have to find work. But going to work isn¡¯t all bad; it prepares you for future working life, and you can learn so much from your casual work experiences.

Working 1,000 hours a year may well take a lot of 바카라사이트 carefree fun from 바카라사이트 university years. But we need to wake up and realise that 바카라사이트re isn¡¯t anything carefree about building up a huge student debt. If we don¡¯t want to shorten degrees, better to leng바카라사이트n 바카라사이트m and make all degree courses part-time, enabling students to work more hours alongside 바카라사이트ir studies.

But if we decide to stick with three- and four-year undergraduate degrees, we should continue to set maintenance loans well below 바카라사이트 level required to live on. And we should be upfront with our young adults about why this is. The last thing 바카라사이트y need is to be offered more seemingly easy money from 바카라사이트 government that translates into even more overwhelming, long-term debts.

Paul Wiltshire is 바카라사이트 fa바카라사이트r of four UK university students.