September 25, 2008
The Nationals Member for Gippsland Darren Chester has called for more financial support to assist students from regional areas to study at university.
Mr Chester believes the high cost of establishing a second residence for students is a major barrier to university participation. Many parents cannot afford to pay a second rent and duplicate household expenses.
Mr Chester told Federal Parliament this week that there should be more cadetships, bonded scholarships or studentships to pay students an allowance while at university. He said they could be tied to a requirement to work in a regional area for a fixed period after graduation.
“Such programs in the health sector have enjoyed bipartisan support in the past and they need to be increased and broadened in their scope into the future,” Mr Chester sad.
“There must be greater recognition of the extra costs borne by country families sending students away for tertiary studies.”
The Gippsland region has one of the worst education retention rates in Victoria. Compared to a state and metropolitan rate in excess of 80 percent in 2006, just 65 percent of Gippsland students finished year 12.
“These figures naturally translate into low participation rates for Gippsland students in university and higher education,” Mr Chester said.
“There is obviously a problem with the way in which we are managing the education of young people in regional areas like Gippsland.”
Mr Chester said many regional areas, including Gippsland, had comparatively low average household incomes, which was a major barrier to participation in higher eduction.
“It affects ENTER scores, parents? capacity to support students to live away from home for study and other purposes and the aspiration within families to actually seek higher education in the first place,” Mr Chester said.
“At a time when skills shortages in a range of professions, including particularly the health sector, are having an enormous impact on the quality of life of country families we need to do more to assist rural and regional students to overcome these economic barriers.
“We must do more to help our young people from regional areas to achieve their full potential.”