Increase Lousy

So, after the budget the National government is no closer to meeting the realities of the situation. Nothing has been clone to reduce the dependence of students on the iniquitous, arbitrary hardship grant. Nothing to alleviate the paper wars, the delays or the anomalies either.

This, the second year of the operation of Mervyn's TAG scheme, has become even more of a nightmare than in 1980. Students in all seven universities are leaving because of financial pressure, others are destroying their health because they cannot afford to eat adequately, thousands are getting themselves so far into hock with the banks that they'll take years to repay then debts. Under an already oppressive assessment system, these pressures can only wreck one's chances of studying effectively.