Outcry on scrapping over-65s' study aid

BY KATHERINE NEWTON

Scrapping financial help for students aged 65 and over would put retraining out of reach for many older workers, senior citizens say.

Education Minister Anne Tolley said last week she had asked for advice about scrapping student loans and allowances for senior citizens.

Ms Tolley said although she supported lifetime learning, "in tough economic times we do have to carefully consider how and where our investment in education is best placed."

About 150 people over 65 got a student allowance in the first three months of this year and 655 received a student loan.

Grey Power national president Les Howard said cutting funding for older students was discriminatory and ignored the increasing number of people choosing to work past retirement age.

"I know of one guy who's 79 and living in Ngaruawahia, developing programmes for Microsoft.

"Surely he shouldn't be denied that opportunity [to learn new skills]."

Many senior citizens were volunteers and often had to complete tertiary-level training courses, Mr Howard said.

Marilyn Simkin, 61, graduated from Weltec in 2006 with a degree in counselling and now works fulltime as a counsellor.

She would like to study for a master's degree in a few years but a cut in funding would probably prevent that, she said.

"I would certainly have to really rethink it, if that's what they're going to do."

More people were working well into their sixties and seventies and a change in policy would affect them "tremendously", Ms Simkins said.

"Especially now, when people are being forced, with redundancies, to look at training for something else. They're not ready for [retirement] yet."

Victoria University student Mary Hobbs, 64, is a year or two from finishing her bachelor of commerce and administration with honours and plans to find work writing disability policy once she graduates.

She has had a student loan since 2004 and relies on that to fund her degree. "If I get that allowance cut, there's no way I can finish my study."

Most older people doing tertiary study planned to work in either paid or volunteer work, she said.

"I don't think there's many doing it as a hobby."

However, Roger Ridley-Smith, 76, who gained his Victoria University bachelor of arts degree in 2007, said older people had to be prepared to pay their own way.

He finished his degree without a student loan and said the cost was "not formidable".

Taking on any loan in later life increased financial exposure, Mr Ridley-Smith said.

WHAT IT COSTS:

Under the student loan system,students can borrow:

Full fee costs

$150 a week for living costs

$1000 a year for course-related costs

Minimum repayments are 10 per cent of any income over $19,084.

Any outstanding debt is written off when you die.

Students aged over 24 and eligible for an allowance (which is income-tested) can receive up to $219.25 a week, which they do not have to repay.

- © Fairfax NZ News