Students applaud demise of tertiary savings scheme

Students applaud demise of ‘hare-brained’ tertiary savings scheme

Students are today applauding the shelving of a controversial tertiary savings scheme recently proposed by the government.

“This government back-down validates what students have been saying all along; the implementation of a tertiary savings scheme will forever entrench an unaffordable system of very high tuition fees,” said Andrew Kirton, Co-President of the New Zealand University Students’ Association (NZUSA).

Helen Clark announced in February the Government was investigating the implementation of a tertiary savings scheme, however the idea has now been put off the agenda due to policy design issues.

“Students hope this policy will spend the rest of its days confined to the dust-bin of failed schemes and hare-brained ideas,” Kirton said.

“A tertiary savings scheme was never going to work when the government is also expecting people to save for their retirement, save for a deposit for a house, and pay back their own student debt,” said Camilla Belich, Co-President of NZUSA.

“If the Government wants to make tertiary education more affordable it should start to address the drivers of debt like a severe lack of access to student allowances and high fees,” said Belich.

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