Letter: Student loans

Sir: Aversion to debt among children from poorer backgrounds will aggravate the current elitism of the higher education system. Taking on pounds 10,000 or more of debt at the age of 18, even if the repayment period does begin later on, poses a genuine deterrent for children from poor families with no tradition of education at tertiary level. The maintenance grant is the only incentive for these prospective students in the current system of

funding.

While future graduate contributions sound fair in principle, in practice they fail to recognise attitudes among those who are most in need of greater participation in higher education.