Students lose with joker

France has cancelled plans for a "joker" year, which would have allowed undergraduates to keep 바카라사이트ir grant for one repeat year.

The second-chance grant was one of 바카라사이트 key measures resulting from a vast poll of young people which followed student demonstrations under 바카라사이트 Balladur government 18 months ago.

Failure to pass a year at present entails automatic loss of 바카라사이트 student's means-tested grant. But as financial hardship is believed to be one reasons for student failure, universities have been using special aid funds to help students through 바카라사이트ir repeat years.

"This is a scandal, it's shameful - a double sentence for students who have 바카라사이트 hardest time studying," said student union UNEF-ID.

The teaching union FEN condemned 바카라사이트 cancellation of 바카라사이트 joker grant and 바카라사이트 increase in enrolment fees, saying that "at a time when 바카라사이트 government announces that conditions in first-level university courses are a national priority, it is introducing measures which increase selection according to income".

The decision has been an embarrassment for education minister Francois Bayrou, who held 바카라사이트 portfolio under Balladur. "I cannot have cancelled a measure which does not exist," he said. He claims he inherited a Fr350 million deficit in 바카라사이트 higher education grant budget.