A federal government plan to slash university fees for STEM subjects at the expense of humanities, law and commerce will make higher education "more accessible" in the state, University of Tasmania Vice-Chancellor Rufus Black says.
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Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan announced the plan in an address to the National Press Club on Friday.
Under the changes, an additional 39,000 university places would be funded by 2023.
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The intention is to target growth employment sectors, with the student contribution being reduced by up to 62 per cent for units encompassing teaching, nursing, agriculture, maths, English and languages, science, environmental science, health, architecture and IT and engineering.
Meanwhile, students are set to pay 28 per cent more for law and commerce subjects than they are currently and a whopping 113 per cent more for humanities subjects.
Full three-year degrees in law, commerce and humanities are now proposed to cost $43,500.
"A cheaper degree in an area where there's a job is a win-win for students ... If Australia needs more educators, more health professionals and more engineers then we should incentivise students to pursue those careers," Mr Tehan said in his address.
Mr Black said employment and salary outcomes for humanities, law and commerce students at UTAS were "exceptional" and, therefore, having to shoulder the burden of greater HECS debt would not be so onerous for them.
"In areas where we see jobs growth in Tasmania, this package is very aligned with that," he said.
"We're very committed to ensuring that all students have equal access to education and equal access to the humanities. We'll be doing all we can to ensure that they get that access."
In areas where we see jobs growth in Tasmania, this package is very aligned with that.
- Rufus Black, University of Tasmania Vice-Chancellor
TasCOSS chief executive Adrienne Picone said addressing educational disadvantage was not just about reducing the cost of a handful of university courses.
"There is more to unlocking the potential of Tasmania's young people," Ms Picone said.
"The risk for Tasmania and our future generations is to further entrench disadvantage for some Tasmanians while improving the life chances of others.
"As we rebuild a stronger Tasmania post-COVID-19, there is a great opportunity for our federal government to work with our state government to address the structural, systemic barriers to education faced by our population and open up access for all."
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