Part of 2. Questions to the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language – in the Senedd at 2:50 pm on 22 June 2022.
The vast majority of my region is made up of working-class communities where the cost-of-living crisis is being felt most acutely. The announcement last week that interest rates on student loans would be capped at 7.3 per cent to prevent them rising to 12 per cent was a mercy, but a very small one at that. An interest rate of 7.3 per cent is still extortionate and off-putting. I fear this huge interest rise on student loans will deter many young people from working-class families from fulfilling their potential and attending university. This may only serve to increase the attainment gap between the haves and the have nots, something NUS Cymru has already spoken out about. How is the Welsh Government reacting to the latest developments in student loan interest rates, combined with the added pressure brought on by the cost-of-living crisis, to ensure that kids from working class families are not discouraged from entering higher education?