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Cuts to student support grants

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Oh, you mean the "squeezed middle" then, not the wealthy (in your post you intimated "wealthy parents" so I assumed adequate parental support). I agree, it is an unfair system for someone who would not qualify for a maintenance grant, but would not get much parental support either. I actually was one of those. But to me that is an argument for more grants being given out, not fewer.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 21

jimi191

Does this ever work? I mean i don't want to be cruel but i don't think underprivileged students are typically what could be called "tory voters" so you can't really demand anything, i mean what are you going to do when they inevitably ignore all your efforts? Continue to not vote for them? Just seems like you need to have a credible threat to demand something.

Rather than doing that have you tried contacting various organizations and individuals known for philanthropy? You may be able to convince some of them to help set up some kind of schemes for the poorest students to mitigate the damage or they could lobby the government as the recommendations and advice of people high up in the social ladder tend to carry a lot more weight. I know you probably aren't a huge fan of the Tories but you could always try contacting them listing your concerns and asking if they could be taken into consideration and addressed when discussing the issue? Also making a more concrete argument couldn't hurt, saying i'm a poor student and i think the grants are essential and getting various people to agree isn't the most practical approach to this, maybe try to organize a bit better and start the formation of a report arguing that grants should be considered essential backing it up with various forms of research and evidence to support your claims, 100 people have signed your petition if you could get all 100 of them to help even a few hours a week you will most certainly make a bigger impact than that petition would with 10,000 signatures.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 22

nulli tertius

Original post by llys

One can defend a different method of student financing, although one is faced by the problem that MatureStudent 36 highlights. What is very difficult is defending the present system in England once it became clear that poorer students were not deterred in practice.

As someone who inhabits the middle, I am afraid I do not regard them as very squeezed.

Reply 23

llys

Original post by btatlow

I am aware that there is going to be people both for and against this but as I am from a less privileged background and probably would not be able to go to university without the support grant I am definitely against the cuts and so on an attempt to make some sort of stand I have created a petition.

Hi there, I'd be happy for you to succeed, but I just want to mention one thing about loans that you may not have considered (yet). Which is that when you pay a maintenance loan back, your money will directly help another student who is in the same position as you were as a student. Although as a student I was a bit miffed at not getting the same support from my parents as other students, I was actually happy with that effect when I later paid back my loan. (I went through the German system so the details are different, but the basic idea is probably the same.)