Students marching last year for the Standard Tertiary Bursary. Will we have to take to the streets again?

Students who have been sucking the end of an oily rag waiting for their first bursary instalment, had better find something a bit more nutritious - there will probably be no payouts until the second term.

The National Government, elected to power in November on the promise of annual increases in bursaries and continued payouts for the A and B supplementary allowances, have renegged again.

The University administration have their hands tied. Last Monday's University Council meeting ordered the Vice-Chancellor. Danny Taylor, to write to the Minister of Education. Les Gandar (see front cover), expressing concern that it may not have either the legal right or the funds to pay out the first instalment of the standard tertiary bursary in April.

The introduction of the standard tertiary bursary was announced in last year's Labour budget, after students took to the streets in all the university centres to demand a 'decent living wage'. Although they didn't get all they demanded, there was general satisfaction with the new bursary system.