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Student Loans: a Northern Ireland Perspective
Author(s) -
Cormack R. J.,
Osborne R. D.,
Miller R. L.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
higher education quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.976
H-Index - 42
eISSN - 1468-2273
pISSN - 0951-5224
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-2273.1989.tb01509.x
Subject(s) - perspective (graphical) , government (linguistics) , scheme (mathematics) , northern ireland , economics , political science , economic growth , sociology , mathematics , philosophy , mathematical analysis , linguistics , ethnology , geometry
The government's proposals for a student loans scheme has been inadequately thought‐out and researched. Mr Baker's commitment to increase participation in higher education, and hence to increase the ‘outflow’ of much‐needed graduates, may well be undermined by the proposed scheme. In particular, what has been missing in the debate on loans has been a regional perspective. Northern Ireland offers a useful example in that, despite being the most economically depressed region in the United Kingdom, recent participation rates have already come close to the rate Mr Baker is aiming for in other parts of the country. We cannot predict the effect of the loans scheme on participation rates. However, in present circumstances and under present policies, our guess, based on extensive survey research, is that the proposed loans scheme will diminish participation rates, particularly among those Mr Baker has targeted for special attention. Secondly, the cost of the proposed scheme to the government will be much higher than envisaged. Regional evidence from Northern Ireland suggests that large numbers of graduates will take a long time to earn sufficient salaries to rise above the 85 per cent threshold, if, in fact, they ever do.