Student finance system to be reviewed

Wednesday 20 March 2024

Jersey's student finance scheme could be re-shaped over the coming years after politicians unanimously passed a tweaked version of plans put forward by the former Education Minister.

Funding options for distance learning, the classification of an "independent student" and the accessibility of the "clinical component grant" are now all under review.

However, it was the amended version of Deputy Inna Gardiner's proposition which gained the approval of all 42 Members in the Chamber this week.

Education and Lifelong Learning Minister Rob Ward had put forward the amendments following concerns from ministers about where funding would be sourced for the radical changes.

Some of the changes that Deputy Gardiner was seeking to make with her ten-part proposition included allowing more students to access a "clinical component" grant of over £1,000 and dealing with "discrimination" in the funding scheme against students on distance learning courses.

She also wanted thresholds for means-tested funding to change in line with inflation and salaries, and sliding scales to be introduced.

Pictured: Deputy Inna Gardiner argued in the debate that these were changes to the law that she would have brought to the Assembly in her time as Children's and Education Minister anyway.

Deputy Gardiner, whose proposition was a continuation of her work as Children's and Education Minister within the previous government, said the proposition was "designed to target small improvements which could help our young people to achieve and aspire to higher education".

She added: "This proposition is brought in the hope of addressing some of the outdated thresholds, definitions and policies that are applied to the provision of higher-education student funding."

Following the vote, Education and Lifelong Learning Minister Rob Ward has agreed to consult with the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers to explore additional funding options for distance learning courses, review the classification criteria for an independent student, consider other subjects for a "clinical component grant", and consider updating thresholds and a sliding scale for tuition fees.

Any resulting changes to the law would be made before September 2025.

Pictured: recently-elected Education and Lifelong Learning Minister Rob Ward succeeded in amending Deputy Gardiner's proposition.

Deputy Gardiner, who accepted some of the changes, said that the approved proposition provided a "roadmap" and that scrutiny would "continue to look at the way this government, which says it will deliver, delivers".

During the debate, Education Minister Rob Ward said there needed to be "a more comprehensive understanding of the potential benefits and unintended outcomes of opening up all distance learning to full funding".

He added that there was no designated funding in the current government budget to put the changes in place this September.

Pictured: How the proposition was amended.

He said: "What we have at the moment is a system that does fund a significant number of young people and families as best as we possibly can. There is a constant pressure to spend more and in different areas in a piecemeal way.

"But, we must decide whether we accept piecemeal changes. Or whether we can accept the amendments to have a more measured, considered and fruitful approach to making the changes that we need and come back with the changes when they are fully-funded, when we know how much they are going to cost and we know the full implications of those changes."