Just to flesh out the impact of Dan Tehan's terrible proposal to cut students who fail 50% of their courses out of HECS. I've had variations on this conversation many times during my time as a tutor/lecturer - a student has fallen so far behind that, even with every accommodation
I can give them, it is very unlikely or even impossible that they can pass the course. I suggest they drop that course so they can focus on their other classes and whatever else is going on for them (there's always something). They say they know they're going to fail, but they
can't drop the course because they need to stay a FT student in order to get Centrelink. They know they are racking up a big HECS debt, but Centrelink is how they're paying their rent *today*. The HECS debt is a future problem compared to the need to keep a roof over their head
This student might be caring for children or family members. Their Centrelink payments may be critical to keeping a household afloat. They might have disabilities or other health conditions that are affecting their capacity to study, and that will only be worsened by forcing them
further into poverty. This is one of many reasons why Dan Tehan's plan is punitive, awful, and shows a willful misunderstanding of what is wrong in higher education, and what students need.
Instead of plugging my soundcloud I'm gonna remind y'all that you have a few short days to comment on Tehan's garbage higher education reforms. You can email your feedback here: Hereform@dese.gov.au by 17 Aug
dese.gov.au/job-ready/job-…
dese.gov.au/job-ready/job-…
