Student Finance England - Financial Fiasco
Considering money is the main concern that plagues new university students, second only to the worry that comes with settling into a new city, I find it abominable that Student Finance England have made such a mess of this years grants and loans.
Recent news reports suggest that the company, who’re undertaking the monumental task of organising government loans to thousands of teenagers, began sifting through the mountain of paper work a whole FIVE MONTHS after they should have began processing people’s claims. With most students beginning university within a matter of days, it begs the question, who bares the brunt of this disaster?
Unfortunately the answer is simple - the students.
Some universities are attempting to offer an olive branch to pupils by deferring payment on halls but this doesn’t count for the students who are living in private housing or for those who don’t have parents in a position to lend money for groceries.
Earlier this year, there was the scandal with the poor handling of SAT’s results when the government handed the task over to a new company. But why aren’t these companies being forced to go through trials before they’re trusted with life changing decisions?
It’s a shame that this will cast a cloud over the adventure of university for so many students, who’ll be embarking on their courses living on their tightest budget yet. Hopefully, the government will learn something from this but - more importantly - they’ll create some kind of scheme that will actually help students for once.
