EVERY time tuition fees are revised, even by very high percentages, for courses offered at Universities and Polytechnics Grants Committee institutions, government officials are quick to fend off attacks by pointing to the local Student Finance Scheme which offers means-tested financial assistance to needy full-time tertiary students in the form of both loans to meet living expenses, and grants to cover tuition fees, faculty expenses and student union fees.
They believe the scheme ensures that no eligible student should be unable to enrol through lack of means.
The level of support under the scheme is determined by an index derived from the family's annual disposable income (ADI), which is obtained after making the permitted deductions of rent, local school fees etc, divided by the number of family members plusthe student.
Naturally, the higher the index is, the lower the amount of grant and loan a student will be awarded. The cut-off point for the eligible ADI was $30,000 last year and is being adjusted to around $35,000 this year.
Determination of eligibility for help under this mechanism hits those students hardest who are just above the cut-off ADI, and have therefore to find ways to make up for the $40,000 plus which is the maximum level of grant and loan for an applicant this year.
Students who fall through the net of direct Government help may look for some relief from the institutional financial assistance schemes and some private donations.
These are, however, relatively limited in scope and level of support. The usual financial alternative for these less fortunate students is to engage themselves in part-time jobs of one kind or another, at the expense of a fruitful life on campus.