Māori Students Disappointed by Biased Reporting

Māori Students Are Disappointed at the Stigma Cast on All Students by One-Sided Reporting This Week.

Māori students are disappointed at the stigma cast on all students by one-sided reporting this week.

A sample of three students were interviewed on TVNZ’s Close up programme last Tuesday evening regarding their use of student loan money for investments, instead of using it to survive with.

“The living costs component of student loans may be used as’ play money’ for wealthier students, but unfortunately that is not the reality for the rest of us,” says Jacqualene Poutu, Tumuaki of Te Mana Akonga ( the national Māori tertiary students association).

“The stereotype of the ‘spoilt student’ is few and far between for Māori students. Access to ‘living costs’ are absolutely necessary for many Māori students. Research shows that Māori and Pasifika students are more likely to borrow from the student loan scheme in order to access tertiary education and bridge themselves and whanau out of poverty,” continues Poutu.

“Most students borrow money to live, not to invest. There are some who need to work throughout their study, as they are ineligible to access a student allowance and have no parental support to fall back on. The living costs component bridges the gap and helps them make ends meet when it comes to living costs,” says Poutu.

“We would expect TVNZ in future to deal with the real issues facing students like student debt and the need for a universal student allowance, rather than one-sided reporting that creates an inaccurate and unfair bias against all students,” concludes Poutu

ENDS

© Scoop Media