A Senate inquiry has been told the Federal Government's proposed higher education reforms will decimate education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.The National Indigenous Postgraduate Association Aboriginal Corporation says Indigenous students will be the hardest hit by increases in student fees, interest on postgraduate loans and attacks on student representation.
The corporation's Peter Randoll gave evidence to a Senate hearing in Canberra last week.
He says the Government is offering minor incentives to Aboriginal students to compensate for a 30 per cent increase in fees for some courses.
"Those Commonwealth accommodation scholarships and the Commonwealth accommodation cost scholarships are a tokenistic payment to try and win over the Indigenous vote in terms of Indigenous education," he said.
"It's not going to, it's going to devastate and decimate Indigenous education if these go ahead."
By Equality 20 Oct 03
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