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Government Must Address Rural Student Disadvantage: IngramThe Independent Member for Gippsland East, Craig Ingram, has used the historic Gippsland regional sitting of Victorian Parliament to call on the government By Craig Ingram - 24th October 2008 - Back to News to address the disadvantage and barriers that rural students face when undertaking tertiary education and training.
Mr Ingram’s address was made to the Parliament this morning.
"Fittingly, the regional sitting venue at Monash University in Churchill provides increased opportunities for many Gippsland students to access university education, but the cost and access to tertiary study is a major barrier to most rural students across country Victoria who have no option than to leave home to study," Mr Ingram said.
"There is a major inequity in our education system, which results in a greater portion of rural students taking a gap year to work so that they qualify for the youth allowance. This means that they are no longer eligible for most education scholarships.
"State and federal governments must address this disadvantage by providing an as-of-right access to those students who have to move home to access universities.
"The government must also address the cost of training and accommodation for apprentices, who also have to leave home for study."
Mr Ingram said where you live should not be a barrier to education and providing the best opportunities for our young people.
"This is a major issue to rural students and a large cost on their families.
"The governments must address this barrier to rural students as a priority," Mr Ingram concluded.
Source: http://gippsland.com/ Published by: support@gippsland.com
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