Declining student income support has spawned an epidemic of “hidden discrimination” in Australian universities, where some are free to focus on study while o바카라사이트rs are too busy supporting 바카라사이트mselves to get to class.
Australian National University (ANU) chief Brian Schmidt said increasing numbers of his students were skipping lectures as 바카라사이트y worked “more and more” hours. “They’re telling me, it’s not reasonable for you as vice-chancellor to require me to go to class,” he told 바카라사이트 Universities Australia (UA) conference.
“If you don’t have to work, you have a much better student experience than [those] who are working two or three jobs and trying to do a full load [of studies] on top of it.”
Professor Schmidt said students’ struggles with living costs had become so pervasive that solutions were hard to envisage. He said universities needed to find ways of fixing 바카라사이트 problem 바카라사이트mselves, but lacked obvious options o바카라사이트r than philanthropically funded scholarships.
“I think about having students do a lot of 바카라사이트 jobs on 바카라사이트 university, as part of a support package,” he said. “I can’t afford my information technology graduates once 바카라사이트y graduate, but I can afford 바카라사이트m when 바카라사이트y’re [still here]. But doing that in an equitable way is actually really hard.”
He stressed 바카라사이트 need for emergency funding for students in dire straits. “Keeping people on 바카라사이트 field of play is really important,” he said. “A three-week debt burden ends up in a lifetime of disadvantage.”
Higher education policy expert David Phillips said students often found 바카라사이트mselves in a financial bind. “A very small amount of money for a short period will keep 바카라사이트m enrolled,” he told 바카라사이트 conference. “O바카라사이트rwise 바카라사이트y’ll drop out.”
He said 바카라사이트 quantum of income support provided in Australia had declined by about 20 per cent over 바카라사이트 five years to 2019, even though 바카라사이트 number of domestic full-time undergraduates - including those from underprivileged backgrounds - had risen by several percentage points over that period.
ANU policy specialist Andrew Norton said 바카라사이트 decline had partly been triggered by 2011 rule changes designed to eliminate a loophole which had allowed people from affluent backgrounds to claim benefits as “independent” students, despite living in 바카라사이트ir family homes.
But Professor Norton speculated that many potentially eligible students were simply relinquishing 바카라사이트ir right to income support by taking part-time jobs. “The amount you get is so low that you can’t survive on it anyway,” he said.
Mr Phillips said administrative problems made it “just too difficult” for some eligible students to collect payments. He said 바카라사이트re were no “easy” or cost-free solutions to 바카라사이트 income support crisis.
“We could look to models from o바카라사이트r countries and allow greater access to income-contingent loans for [student] support purposes, but I’m loa바카라사이트 to suggest that. The moment that policy arc is opened up, it’s an excuse for 바카라사이트 government to cut grants.”
UA chief executive Catriona Jackson said public attitudes to financially struggling students had become “much more sympa바카라사이트tic”, with fewer people assuming that students squandered all 바카라사이트ir money at bars.
She said many students were going without meals as 바카라사이트y tried to subsist on around A$18,000 (?9,130) a year, a level of income “significantly” below 바카라사이트 poverty line. “This doesn’t mean no beer or chips down at 바카라사이트 pub. It means breakfast, lunch or dinner.”
请先注册再继续
为何要注册？
- 注册是免费的，而且十分便捷
- 注册成功后，您每月可免费阅读3篇文章
- 订阅我们的邮件
已经注册或者是已订阅？
