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Government silent on surplus money reaped from Student Loans

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Thu Dec 12 2013 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)

Government silent on surplus money reaped from Student Loans

NZUSA - New Zealand Union of Students' Associations Thursday, 12 December 2013, 2:55 pm
Press Release: NZUSA

12 December 2013

Government strangely silent on surplus money reaped from Student Loans

The government has remained strangely silent on a report released this week showing that repayments on student loans in the last year have run almost $200 million ahead of forecasts.

The New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations notes that the Student Loan Scheme Annual Report published by the Ministry of Education for the year ending June 2013 topped $1 billion in repayments against a Treasury forecast of about $840 million.

“This essentially amounts to a funnelling of money from former students back into the government’s pockets. Accordingly there has to be a high standard of accountability to ensure it is being reinvested in quality learning experiences or being put into student support in ways that visibly contribute to access and opportunity", says Daniel Haines, 2014 President of NZUSA.

“What we seem to be witnessing is a scheme that is acting as a cash cow for the government but that is extremely expensive to run and that isn’t being held up to the light for scrutiny.

“Former president Pete Hodkinson has addressed the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee regarding growing concerns about the way the scheme operates, including questionable calculations on the discount rate used to justify the way it is geared, and given their shared concerns NZUSA remains hopeful that it will be subject to a parliamentary inquiry in 2014”.

ENDS

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NZUSA - New Zealand Union of Students' Associations

NZUSA - New Zealand Union of Students' Associations

We stand for opportunity, for all.

NZUSA is the New Zealand Union of Students' Associations, the national body that represents New Zealand's students' associations and the interests of New Zealand's 400,000 students at universities, polytechnics and in trades training.

We conduct original research, advocate to Government and through the media, and support New Zealand's students' associations to be more effective on behalf of their members. We advocate alongside Te Mana Akonga – The National Māori Students' Association, and Tertiary Women New Zealand – The NZUSA Women's Caucus.

Since 1929, we've believed in a society rich in opportunity, where anyone from anywhere can become any thing. We support accessible, affordable quality public tertiary education.

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