95bFM Students fed up with government inaction on student hardship
28 July, 2023
Interview by Jessica Hopkins, adapted by Athena Li-Watts
Otago University Students’ Association President Quintin Jane and Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association Te Aka Tauira President Jessica Ye are petitioning for a universal study wage to improve student conditions. Image: University of Otago.
The cost of living in Aotearoa increased by 7.7% over the past year as of March, making balancing work and tertiary education increasingly hard for students.
This has prompted calls for a universal student allowance that would cover living expenses for tertiary students, allowing them to prioritise their education.
Otago University Students’ Association President Quintin Jane told 95bFM’s The Wire that studying at University is a lot more complicated compared to only a few decades ago, when students weren’t expected to pay a student loan and had a bursary to study.
“When you're having to borrow from your future self, it's pretty rough to be living in some of the conditions that students are in, which are pretty terrible conditions, while indebting yourself at the same time. It's not very good value for money.”
Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association Te Aka Tauira President Jessica Ye told The Wire that although student allowances exist to ease economic barriers that only a small proportion of students are eligible.
The student allowance has an age limit, which Ye said does not consider that poverty can be lifelong, and students beginning university at a later age may be doing so because they weren’t able to earlier in life.
The student allowance is also not available to postgraduate students, which Ye believes is “downright exploitative”.
Ye said the financial situations of postgraduates are often similar to undergraduate students and many postgraduate students are forced to drop out due to being unable to financially support themselves with a part-time income.
She questioned why students are expected to struggle financially throughout their studies as tertiary education becomes more of a need than a want.
“When we consider the fact that we want to see more marginalised perspectives and research in academia, this leaves our marginalised communities a lot worse off.”
University students work an average of 15 to 20 hours a week, which Jane believes is unreasonable alongside the expected 48 hours of study each week.
“The expectations of students have grown. But the financial support is not there to match those expectations.”
Both Jane and Ye have launched a joint petition, calling for a universal study wage, which they believe will make education accessible for all.
They envision the study wage being initially set at $385 a week after tax, and annually re-calculated to ensure students can make ends meet.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins previously advocated for a universal student allowance during his time at University.
However, as of August 2022, when Chris Hipkins was the Education Minister, he confirmed that the government would not implement a universal student allowance.
Jane and Ye are encouraging members of parliament, including the Prime Minister, to stand up for students, stating that student poverty has only worsened since he was president of the Victoria University of Wellington Student Association (VUWSA) in 2001.
“He’s welcome to come for a walk down Castle Street and see the conditions students are in and why a study wage for all would be so great for so many people,” said Jane.
“Now is the time for transformational change with them at the helm and it's only going to get worse if there's no action,” said Ye.
Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
