Australian Greens Education spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has said the federal government’s move to punish students who struggle to find their feet at university is all about saving money, and nothing to do with ‘putting students’ interests first’.
Senator Faruqi said:
“There’s no doubt some students struggle at university, but choosing to punish rather than support them makes no sense.
“We should be resourcing universities to help struggling students, not denying those students government support to finish their studies.
“I’m really concerned this approach will target and harm disadvantaged students, who are already at greater risk of dropping out.
“The Liberals are more concerned about saving money than helping students get through university.
“Years of government cuts have prevented universities from supporting at-risk students. Now the government is trying to blame universities and wash their hands of responsibility.
“We should be investing our time and money in building well-funded, fee-free university and TAFE. Instead, all the Liberals are interested in doing is cutting uni funding, hiking up fees, and punishing students who fall through the cracks,” she said.
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