The government's approach to informing teenagers about student loans has been called into question, with a recent revelation that a decade ago, they compared repayments to a £30-a-month phone contract. This strategy, part of a series of 'student finance tours' delivered to thousands of schools, has been deemed 'deeply misleading' by the National Union of Students. The tours, led by graduates, aimed to 'convert' young people from disadvantaged backgrounds into 'actual [higher education] applicants'. However, the script used in these presentations has been heavily criticized for downplaying the implications of taking out a loan. One former presenter now feels like he 'sold his soul to the devil' for his role in these tours. The government is under pressure to change the repayment terms of Plan 2 student loans, which were issued in England between September 2012 and July 2023 and are still issued in Wales. The comparison to a phone contract, while accurate for Plan 2 loans taken out at the time, has been seen as a 'sales tactic' by some. The average graduate now leaves university with debts of about £53,000, and with interest being added to the total debt each year, many students never repay it in full. The recent controversy has surrounded Plan 2 loans, following the government's decision to freeze the salary threshold above which repayments have to be made in England. The government has responded by saying these tours were delivered under previous governments, and that current ministers have focused on making the system fairer. However, the revelations have sparked a debate about the effectiveness and ethics of the government's approach to informing young people about student loans.
