Archived Publications
Fact Sheet (for latest Fact
Sheets please go to Fact Sheets 2004)
10. Striving for Greater Equity
While in recent years the participation of some disadvantaged groups in
higher education has increased, this has not been the case for all.
Additional financial support, culturally appropriate and responsive policy,
clear directives on equity programmes and performance-based rewards are
needed to ensure that there are no barriers to access to higher education
for any group in Australia. Higher Education Loan
Programme (HELP)
[see Fact Sheet:
HELP]
HELP incorporates three types of loans to help students meet the costs of
their higher education. No eligible student will have to pay fees up
front at the point of entry to higher education. top
Higher Education Equity Programme
Since 1990, five equity groups in addition to Indigenous Australians have
been recognised as disadvantaged in their access to higher education. These
are:
-
people from a non-English
speaking background;
-
people with disabilities;
-
people from rural and isolated
areas;
-
women in non-traditional areas of
study; and
-
people from socio-economically
disadvantaged backgrounds.
These groups of students are supported under the Higher Education Equity
Programme (HEEP), through which the Commonwealth provided $6 million to the
sector in 2003. While significant improvements in participation and access
have been made for some of these disadvantaged groups, the participation of
other groups remains a concern. Current equity groups will be reviewed to
ensure that HEEP remains focused on groups experiencing significant
educational disadvantage. This review will ensure that equity groups are
properly identified and performance is measured effectively. It will also
inform the development of a new funding formula for HEEP. HEEP will be
increased by $2.3 million per year from 2005. Funds will be allocated
according to a performance based formula to be developed to ensure that
institutions remain focused on improving outcomes for equity groups. Block
grants will no longer be provided. Institutions eligible for HEEP
allocations will include those that:
-
run an outreach programme to
attract equity group students to higher education;
-
offer specialised support for
equity group members to assist their progression through higher education;
-
manage the Commonwealth Learning
Scholarships Programme; and
-
establish an Institutional Equity
Scholarship Programme to complement the Commonwealth Learning Scholarships
Programme.
top Increased assistance for
students with disabilities
The Commonwealth’s Students with Disabilities Programme assists public
higher education institutions to meet the needs of students whose
disabilities require additional infrastructure and services. Funding for
the Programme will be increased by $1.1 million per year from 2005. This
will significantly increase the capacity of institutions to provide access
to education for people with disabilities. top
Commonwealth Learning Scholarships [see Fact Sheet:
Commonwealth Scholarships]
The Commonwealth Learning Scholarships Programme will be introduced from
2004 to assist rural and regional, low income and Indigenous students with
costs associated with higher education. There will be two scholarships – one
for educational costs and one for accommodation costs. Both will be merit
based, non-repayable and will target students from low income backgrounds.
Commonwealth Learning Scholarships will be distributed to institutions on
the basis of their proportion of full-time low income students, taking into
account their ability to increase the number of low income students
attending their institution. Institutions will be responsible for the
allocation of Commonwealth Learning Scholarships to individual students. The
Commonwealth will provide guidelines for the allocation of these
scholarships but individual institutions will determine their own selection
and allocation processes. Institutions will be required to give priority to
students from low income and Indigenous groups when allocating scholarships.
Commonwealth Education Costs Scholarships (CECS) will be introduced to
provide students with a scholarship of $2,000 per year for up to four years.
Priority will be given to full-time students from low socioeconomic and/or
Indigenous backgrounds. In 2004, 2,500 new CEC Scholarships will be
provided. By 2007, 5,075 new scholarships will be awarded each year and
17,635 students will be in receipt of a CEC Scholarship. The CECS will be
funded at a cost of $84.4 million over four years. Commonwealth
Accommodation Scholarships (CAS) will provide fulltime students from rural
and regional areas with $4,000 per year for up to four years to assist them
with accommodation expenses where they have to move to undertake higher
education. In 2004, 1,500 scholarships will be offered, allocated on the
basis of academic merit. By 2007, 2,030 new scholarships will be awarded
each year and approximately 7,550 students will be in receipt of a CAS. The
Commonwealth will provide $75.8 million over four years to the CAS
programme. top Improving
participation and outcomes in higher education for Indigenous Australians
The reform package includes measures to improve participation and
outcomes for Indigenous people in higher education. These include an
increase in funding for the Indigenous Support Fund (ISF), the introduction
of Indigenous Staff Scholarships and the establishment of an Indigenous
Higher Education Advisory Council (IHEAC). These measures are described in
the Fact Sheet: Improving participation and outcomes for Indigenous people.
The reforms outlined in this Fact Sheet are subject to the passage of
Commonwealth legislation. Full implementation details for the reforms will
be provided over the coming months. top
Contact Details
Media inquiries:
Ross Hampton
Dr Nelson’s Office
Telephone: 0419 484 095 Jane Smith
Department of Education, Science and Training
Telephone: 0412 973 411
Other inquiries:
Equity Issues
Bernadette McDonald
Director, Equity Unit
Higher Education Group
Department of Education, Science and Training
Telephone: 02 6240 7490 HELP and Commonwealth Learning Scholarships
Regina Camara
A/g Director, Student Financing and Scholarships Unit
Higher Education Group
Department of Education, Science and Training
Telephone: 02 6240 9695 Website:
http://www.backingaustraliasfuture.gov.au
Email:
highered@dest.gov.au
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