As of January 2013, any student studying towards a post graduate qualification will no longer qualify for a student allowance. This new policy I believe, is absolutely ridiculous and sends out a message that those from a low socio economic background who require a student allowance to be able to study, do not need to further their education. Maori tend to fall into this category as they generally do not come from a strong financial background.
In order to be a competitive contender in todays workforce both nationally and internationally, a degree is not sufficient. We already struggle to keep up with other tertiary providers worldwide and to now say that post graduate study is unnecessary is unbelievable.
Personally, for me this means, as an architecture student i will no longer be financially supported when I study for my masters which is a necessary if I want to become a registered architect. I have only started receiving a student allowance this year (my forth year of study) because my siblings have now started studying also and therefore believed I was eligible for another three years.
I understand that this law change does not mean that post graduate study is completely out of reach, but shouldn’t the government be encouraging tauira to strive further and therefore benefit our economy? what do you think?
Hoahoanga Maori 