June 27, 2018
Debt threat disincentive for Maori students
A student leader believes the Government’s policy of a fee free first year of tertiary study could be a game changer for Māori.
National says the fees free scheme is a failure because university enrolments are up just 0.3 percent.
But Jonathan Gee from the New Zealand Union of Student Associations says it’s still too early to judge.
He says being able to get a taste of university without racking up debt could change the perceptions of Māori and Pasifika, especially if they are the first in their family to go into tertiary study.
"Often what they do is go into study for one year and then they decide actually the student debt is unbearable and they need to get into work straight away because they don't want to be lumped with this big amount of debt," Mr Gee says.
Māori take longer to pay off student loans than their Pākeha counterparts, and the courses they take are often at lower levels so they are not on track for high-earning careers.
Copyright © 2018, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com