Prevent the scrapping of the maintenance grant.

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/109649

Original post by Blyts-_

Hi there,

Any chance that you could add more substance your OP please? We don't usually allow petition links - but I recognise that this is a student affair and there is more behind it. If you could quote a news article about it to get discussion going then that'd be brilliant. If not, I'm afraid I'll have to move it offsite.

Thanks

RF

Reply 2

Kvothe the Arcane

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/109649

Original post by Blyts-_

Why do you think it's a bad idea for the maintenance grant to be scrapped?

Reply 3

username1494226

19

I would have gone a step further and torn out the entire loan system and allow free market competition to take place, forcing the universities to lower their fees and the worse universities would happily go insolvent

Reply 4

cherryred90s

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/109649

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/jan/13/plan-to-end-student-grants-without-commons-vote-outrages-opposition

http://www.independent.co.uk/student/news/government-plans-to-axe-maintenance-grants-for-poorest-students-without-commons-vote-and-debate-a6811786.html

Original post by Blyts-_

Isn't the grant just being replaced with a loan? It's not like anyone will be entitled to any less..

Reply 5

username853993

21

Original post by cherryred90s

Isn't the grant just being replaced with a loan? It's not like anyone will be entitled to any less..

Yes but it means that if you come from a poorer background, you get more debt than someone from a higher income background which isn't really fair.

Reply 6

cherryred90s

Original post by madmadmax321

Yes but it means that if you come from a poorer background, you get more debt than someone from a higher income background which isn't really fair.

Debt that you most likely won't pay back. When you do start earning 21k, you'd only be paying back about £8 a month, that's hardly breaking the bank.
People from a poor background will be entitled to bursaries that higher income people won't be

Reply 7

username853993

21

Original post by cherryred90s

Debt that you most likely won't pay back. When you do start earning 21k, you'd only be paying back about £8 a month, that's hardly breaking the bank.
People from a poor background will be entitled to bursaries that higher income people won't be

Well thats how the money is paid back at the moment, but the government are already trying to change that so I imagine, within 5 years, the way it is all paid back will be very different and more suited to the government than the students.

Bursaries at my university have been cut down each year for the past 3 years and I know friends that have had this happen at their universities too. So that can really be taken into account as much anymore. Plus not all universities offer a bursary.

Reply 8

cherryred90s

Original post by madmadmax321

Well thats how the money is paid back at the moment, but the government are already trying to change that so I imagine, within 5 years, the way it is all paid back will be very different and more suited to the government than the students.

Bursaries at my university have been cut down each year for the past 3 years and I know friends that have had this happen at their universities too. So that can really be taken into account as much anymore. Plus not all universities offer a bursary.

Oh, didn't know they wanted to change the repayment plans.
I suppose it's fair enough but students from lower income families will not be any worse off when they start uni. When they finish, they'd still be paying the same amount each month as higher income students (earning 21k) So I don't really see much of an issue

Reply 9

Helloworld_95

19

What they should do is set up every student with a sort of student debit card and then all of your possible maintenance money goes on there, everyone gets the maximum amount as their 'overdraft' but between the new limits of £5400 and £8200 it is means tested. So say you're entitled to minimum student loan conditions overdraft of £5400, then if you spent over that you would have to pay the extra under the conditions you would normally pay a loan back rather than the relaxed student loan conditions, e.g. you spend £7000 in a year, you'd have to pay back the extra £1600 in monthly installments when you graduate, over a set period of time and regardless of your income.

Reply 10

Inazuma

Much fairer to be equally applicable; the people who have always been worst off with the current system are the middle-incomes where there are no/few grants, but families cannot support students (whereas the poorer got grants and richer could support).
This actually makes it far fairer, as from what I gathered, everyone will be entitled to a much higher loan, which is actually capable of covering living unlike now.

It's been proven before with loans rising that it DOES NOT put people off from coming to uni (perhaps sadly so).

As to the 'more debt' argument, that's what everyone else has now, so big whoop. The loan payback system is fab (excluding the negative effects for govt income..); and any discussion of what 'may' happen to it shouldn't be taken into account as it is totally speculative.

Reply 11

Original post by Inazuma

X

I put this question to the NUS President at our SU AGM this week and she ignored the 'actually it's good for the middle ground people whose parents can't support them but they don't get a maintenance grant' part. :rolleyes:

Reply 12

Inazuma

Original post by Roving Fish

I put this question to the NUS President at our SU AGM this week and she ignored the 'actually it's good for the middle ground people whose parents can't support them but they don't get a maintenance grant' part. :rolleyes:

Ahhhh the NUS, my favourite organisation :wink:

It's a problem that's been ignored for a while, I like that this going some way to solving it. Constantly seen it on TSR, for instance.
Just a shame that, as with the fee rise (and the accompanying generous payback system); the govt. press office seems to have been incapable of putting forward the benefits IMO.

Reply 13

Original post by Inazuma

Ahhhh the NUS, my favourite organisation :wink:

It's a problem that's been ignored for a while, I like that this going some way to solving it. Constantly seen it on TSR, for instance.
Just a shame that, as with the fee rise (and the accompanying generous payback system); the govt. press office seems to have been incapable of putting forward the benefits IMO.

If it's any consolation, I didn't vote to stay part of the NUS as I despise it too!

Hear, hear! *jazz hands*

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 14

posthumus

Is this only for new students, or will this effect students already enrolled also?

Reply 15

Original post by posthumus

Is this only for new students, or will this effect students already enrolled also?

It'll be for people starting their studies in September 2016 onwards. If you're already at university, then it won't affect you.

Reply 16

a noble chance

3

The way loans and grants have been calculated is a travesty. Young toffs with investment banker parents who retired years ago are entitled to maximum loans and grants simply because their parents fall into the lowest income band, while someone with a plumber dad and a housewife mum gets the bare minimum.

I don't see why there should be any grants as long as the money that was previously paid in a non-repayable grant is transferred to the loan, but the way SFE calculates how much students should get needs to be reformed.

Reply 17

Flame Alchemist

13

Yet again, this seems to fall back under the observation that people - especially liberal, young people - want to demand free education, free public transport, free accommodation, free-er healthcare etc., yet simultaneously oppose austerity and cuts to any other area.

The money all has to come from somewhere...

Reply 18