August 01, 2014
Scholarship plan aims for excluded
The Maori Party has endorsed a new scholarship proposal from the New Zealand University Students Association, but says it needs to be tweaked to be more relevant for Maori.
NZUSA says its First in Family Scholarship would get groups into tertiary study who are now under-represented, and it would offer a pathway out of poverty not just for individuals but for generations to follow.
It says about 2000 students a year would be eligible, costing about $77 million a year for full fees and living costs for those who will be the first in their family to enrol on a degree level course.
Maori Party co-leader Te Ururoa Flavell says the eligibility age of 25 needs to be raised, because that’s when most Maori begin tertiary studies.
He’d also like to see a specific number of scholarships available for Maori and Pasifika students.
NZUSA hopes other political parties will pick up the proposal.
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