17 February 2000

STUDENT LOANS AND ALLOWANCE FIASCO NEEDS CONSTRUCTIVE SOLUTIONS

United New Zealand leader, Hon Peter Dunne, today said the finger pointing over the student loan fiasco should stop and constructive solutions be put in place to at least restore some certainty for those affected students.

“Of course the situation is totally unsatisfactory and there must be accountability from senior WINZ officials, but I believe the entire focus must shift to reassuring those students who have been affected by this crisis.

“An effective solution to this problem would be an agreement from the Government to guarantee payments to students who are affected, to remove worry and stress, and provide certainty for tertiary institutions needing to cover their costs,” says Mr Dunne.

He says the proposal could be implemented reasonably easily and take the heat out of the issue for the meantime.

“Students and tertiary institution administrators deserve nothing less as the academic year commences.

“With some certainty back in the system the Government deserves support in seeking some high level accountability for this sorry saga,” concluded Mr Dunne.

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