Bursaries not working for disadvantaged
Updated on 11 June 2007
Bursaries aimed at disadvantaged pupils are not working, the Office for Fair Access has said.
Student debt has risen above £3bn for the first following the introduction of top-up tuition fees.
Figures to be released by the Student Loans Company later this week will show the debt of current students is three times the 1997 level.
This comes as the Office for Fair Access says the system of student bursaries needs to be overhauled.
They're supposed to help disadvantaged youngsters go to university, but OFA believes they're not working and the money could be better spent on outreach and summer schools.
Seven inner city schools from London have been invited to Westminster University for a debate as part of outreach in action.
It is said the only way to encourage disadvantaged students to go to university - is to target them early. These are 14 year olds - and they seem convinced.
The government's main incentive is bursaries where £100m a year is spent.
But it's not working. Now the independent office for fair access is trying to pursuade universities to shift their spending away from bursaries to early outreach and summer schools instead.
The number of disadvantaged students in Britain's universities is going down, which is embarrassing
It's a view backed by the manager of London's outreach programmes and is an admission - the current system is failing.
Channel 4 News has previously revealed how the numbers of state school pupils in top universities is actually dropping.
The NUS - is now trying to pursuade the government to create a new national bursary scheme.
But it will have a tough job - up against the Office for Fair access. Universities have to meet targets for state school students and already they say there's not enough money to go round - so something has to give.
