Another bit of Howard govt policy shit hits the bin

[Jovial Monk]

Bid to stop 'professional students'

Higher Education Minister Chris Evans. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen
THE Coalition will fight to retain a Howard government rule designed to discourage ''professional students'' by limiting access to publicly subsidised university study.

The Gillard government has introduced legislation to abolish the ''student learning entitlement'', which requires students to pay full fees after they have received seven years of Commonwealth-supported study. The bill is due to be debated in the lower house tomorrow.

Labor argues that the rule, introduced in 2005, has caused hardship to many medical students who gained entry to medicine by first studying a related field. The rule does not stop students from accumulating further debt, as most would be eligible for income-contingent loans of up to $86,000 to cover the cost of their full-fee place.

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Opposition universities spokesman Brett Mason said the Coalition wanted to retain the rule ''to prevent … 'professional students' from pursuing never-ending university studies while accumulating tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars of … debt they will never be in a position to repay''.

But Senator Mason said that given changes to course structures in some universities, the Coalition would propose increasing the limit to eight years.

Higher Education Minister Chris Evans said abolishing the rule would free universities up to focus on teaching.

''So many compromises were made to get the Student Learning Entitlement through Parliament in 2003 that it's now a complex and bureaucratic set of algorithms that tie universities up in red tape, but still trip up genuine students,'' Senator Evans said.

Up to 1100 university students could be forced to pay full fees to continue their studies next year if the Labor proposals are defeated.

Australian Medical Students Association president Robert Marshall said: ''Medical students are training to be doctors to provide a service to the people of Australia, so governments should do all they can to allow them to finish their studies.''

The federal Education Department says only 115 students have already used their entitlement of seven years - less than 0.02 per cent of the number of students enrolled at Australian universities this year.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/national/bid-t ... z1P8UPALcT

Gradually things are put on a rational footing, free of Howardista middleclass welfare, culture wars etc.

[boxy]

Removing this would actually be increasing "middle class welfare", not reducing it. It's not unreasonable to make doctors pay back the full fees for the last year or so of their studies. They are going to be paid well above average for their services once qualified. And, as the article says, they can take out an "income-contingent" loan to finish their studies, if required.

[Rainbow Moonlight]

I think with many people having to retrain these days in different fields, and with some courses requiring two degrees for completion(ie doctor) it makes sense to do away with the limitation.