The image of the penniless student has probably never been truerthan today with many students leaving university in serious debt, having struggled to survive while they studied. As the Government prepares to cut student grants by a further 30 percent, this
Education special explores the effects of this policy by examiningthe cases of students in Oxford, London and Preston.
A second-year student explains how she was so desperate that she briefly turned to prostitution to make ends meet, and a final-year student says he still owes thousands, despite working late nights in a barand fruit-pickingsix days a week in the summer holidays. "Less and less working-class people are going to go into higher education, he says. "I mean, a L3,000 debt is quite a burden."
Parents and professionals also express theirviews. One father probably speaks for many working-class parents when he says: "We didn't have much of an education and we're prepared to do anything to help our children improve themselves. But there is a limit - we can't pay what we haven't got."
There is a Helpline available on [number removed]- lines open 8.30-11.30pm tonight and 1.00-7.00pm tomorrow. Director/Producer Yvette Vanson