Comments on: Student Loans access

By: wikiriwhis business

wikiriwhis business — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 08:04:30 +0000

Students are traditional socialists so National does itself no favours supporting them.

The future trend for students is to be very certain and accurate about degrees they study to capitalise.

I also see this in narrowing opportunitiies in multiple degrees which is highly needed in todays competitive environment.

Students are simply being persecuted because of long term Winz losers.

and of course the parliamentary gravy train.

My solution for pollies is a ten year tenure in treasury seats then haere ra.

New blood and new ideas instead of a half dozen lifers running the Beehive.

By: Jeff83

Jeff83 — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 03:18:28 +0000

To be honest I thought this was the policy, but as it clearly is not definitely indorce it. Dont see why the tax payer should pay for people to fail!

By: salt

salt — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 06:31:04 +0000

To Whafe and company, who paid interest on their student loans and believe that should still be the case: do bear in mind that a full time course – in something normal like science, arts, commerce, or law – now costs some $5000 a year in fees alone. Bursary payments for good performance at high school are $300 a year tops, and are only paid while you are under age 20. So that’s three years’ contribution at most (turns out being born in March, April or May has financial benefits!)

That’s a bit more expensive than your day, huh?

By: mavxp

mavxp — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 05:42:56 +0000

This is a sensible policy and politically makes sense as well – particularly since removing interest free loans would take more balls come the next election.

Students are notoriously self interested and can easily be convinced to vote Labour for the free-bees, without caring that the quality of their degrees is dropping since the tertiary education funding is being skewed towards the students and not the institutions who need funding to employ top professors and conduct world leading research.

1) Cut funding to bum students.
2) Put savings into improving NZ Uni’s research. Reduces brain drain as well, keeping our talent here, developing new tech that can be capitalised on.
3) Increased quality of NZ unis will attract more foreign students who pay $ into our economy.

So yeah, this has been a long time coming!

By: Leonidas

Leonidas — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 03:34:44 +0000

If it wasn't for the interest free aspect, I probably wouldn't have gone back to study. Having said that, I'm not getting any write offs as such, the total amount borrowed will have to be repaid. I think the main issue should be what you can get funding for: this that bollox what the? Got to be kidding seriously?

By: burt

burt — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 03:20:20 +0000

Every conclusion you ever wanted to make about the effects of Labour's interest free policy can be informed here; Chapter Three: Student Loan Scheme – State of Play

By: tvb

tvb — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 02:09:55 +0000

I did not know people could start drawing interest free loans and there was NO accountability to pass subjects. In the bad old days students needed to pass a Minimum of twp “units” to keep full time study assistance. And if they failed that they needed to study without assistance the following year to get it back. I cannot wait for the Labour Party to oppose this.

By: kisekiman

kisekiman — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:45:44 +0000

When I went to Lincoln College in the mid 80s there were no loans to be had from Government but fees were low. I thought this was not a bad scheme. I had to fund my own pissing up through shearing during the summer. Labour giving students access to free credit was a shallow vote buying tactic which bordered on being criminally negligent.

By: Whafe

Whafe — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:09:41 +0000

Inky – Just because someone fails once doesn’t mean they are a failure.

I disagree, if you are at Uni, dont fail full stop. Some lefties will think I am a prick, so be it, dont fail…. Of course there are circumstances where some will fail, thats different to those that fuck around…

By: Whafe

Whafe — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:00:19 +0000

Tauhei Notts (584) Says:
February 27th, 2010 at 9:57 am
Whafe,
Did I read that correctly. You borrowed and paid interest to repay an interest free loan?
You must be a graduate of Green Party economics studies.

TN – I can assure you I am not a graduate of the Green Party, nor will I ever be…

This was many years ago TN, there was no interest free loans. NOR SHOULD THERE BE…. Back then the way the interest was calculated was cheaper to get a loan from the bank and pay it off… Then pay the bank loan off….

Tertiary education is not a god given right, like a good many NZ’ers think….

The fact that it is now interest free, compounds the fraud so to speak of it!

By: Murray

Murray — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 22:52:35 +0000

Massey rountienly punts people who are here just to be here. I also know a couple of people who lost their student loan entitlement and had to come back with borrowed money or work to make money for the papers and they’re working their asses off to rentitle themselves.

Hey look having consequences works.

Personally I think the wors thing you can do with a kid is let then go from home, high school and total regulation to being alone with other kids, no regulation and lots of money being thrown at them. Why we should be suprised that they get drunk, hump all night and sleep all day isn’t obvious to me. Its like a sink or swim policy with free lead weights added for the fun of it.

By: jakejakejake

jakejakejake — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 22:32:23 +0000

I think it is a good idea but as you say there needs to be some way to access it in the future. With student allowance I think if you fail your course you are not able to claim it for the next year but if you go back to work and support yourself for a year then you can claim it again.

By: Inky_the_Red

Inky_the_Red — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 21:36:13 +0000

I’ll add many people who start a Bsc are tempted to take the easier BCom courses instead.

By: Inky_the_Red

Inky_the_Red — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 21:33:48 +0000

I got my degree back before people had to borrow and pay for them (1984-1988).

I failed 5 of the courses in my first year. I did complete my BSc (over 5 years). I learnt from that failure I got and took a second chance. Just because someone fails once doesn’t mean they are a failure. Just because someone doesn’t complete the degree they start doesn’t mean that that study has benefited them. People do degrees part time too, for them it takes longer than 5 years to get a bachelor degree.

Yes failing meant I go funding the next year. However I got government subsidised jobs each Christmas where (while living at home with my parents in the holidays) I saved roughly the same as the student allowance. It cost and $500 a year or so extra for fees but not hard to pay.

Personally I prefer society to invest and trust that students learning will benefit NZ society in the future.

By: MIKMS

MIKMS — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 21:21:41 +0000

There is no down side to this philosophy, remember if a student wants to drop out of a course they still can right until half way though, the university keeps the money and thats the fee cap problem solved as any student likely t fail will drop out sooner for other things, setting a standard of say a gpa of 3.3 forces students to at least get C- – C grades and no one can say it is bad to punish failers at university, if you are at university you have proven you should be able to do averagely at the very least but they should bring back the bonded merit system as a countermeasure to students have a short term aspiration again

By: jaba

jaba — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 21:06:06 +0000

Luc’s answer was great .. many students from the 60′s-70′s took such jobs and ended up the better for it .. I love the fact the the Govt (of any persuasion) will help those who want to help themselves (and therefore the country) but those who sweat blood to quicken the process should be commended .. pity more don’t do it instead of expecting payouts.
I see an similar thing with sportspeople .. Ferguson and the other canoeists used to slum it when competing overseas but the hardship made them so much more determined and ultimately successful.

By: Redbaiter

Redbaiter — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 21:04:54 +0000

The whole students loans scenario is unworkable and just another stupid socialist idea. It needs to stop and the slimy politicians supporting this fraud need to stop stealing money from NZ workers to try and maintain it. Privatise education fully. There is no good reason for government to be in the education business. The outocme is schools and universities dumbed down and made unproductive by means of the control and influence of socialist zealots. It has to stop.

By: Luc Hansen

Luc Hansen — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 20:58:25 +0000

Thanks for the maths correction, Michael.

But isn’t Joyce proposing what universities already do, anyway?

By: Tauhei Notts

Tauhei Notts — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 20:57:06 +0000

Whafe,
Did I read that correctly. You borrowed and paid interest to repay an interest free loan?
You must be a graduate of Green Party economics studies.
But, seriously, every week I see another example of why that interest free student loans bribe was one of the most stupid decisions ever made by a parliamentarian in our country. It is totally illogical.

By: Adolf Fiinkensein

Adolf Fiinkensein — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 20:51:57 +0000

In my day -1967 to 69, if you failed to pass all papers with an average of fifty percent or better, you did not get back for year two. If you failed to pass years one and two with an average of 60% or better, you did not get back for year three.

There were 210 students enrolled in year one and there were 47 who graduated in year three.

My memory is that our parents paid most of the fees with limited gummint support but I could be wrong.