U.K.’s Ombudsman Services has revealed that students in the country are losing £335m a year to telecoms, energy and other companies as they do not know their rights or don’t dare to complain. Almost 1.4 million students lose an average of £240 each year in unfair charges such as being overcharged for gas or electricity, paying bills from previous tenants or paying for damage they or their housemates did not cause.
Very few apply for refunds. According to the research, 28 per cent of the students remained silent for fear of intimidation while 26 per cent were too embarrassed or were not bothered.
Women empowermentTo promote education for girls and women equality, U.S. first lady Michelle Obama, singer Beyoncé and Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai got together at the Global Citizen Festival in New York and made a commitment to achieve the target by 2030.
Leaders of Germany, Chile, Kenya and Mexico were also present at the event and vowed full support for the cause. “Right now 62 million girls are not in school... they deserve the same chances to get an education as my daughters and your daughters,” said Obama, according to reports.
Fresh hopeAs Australia gets a new prime minister and education minister, university vice-chancellors of the country are hoping that the reconstructed conservative government will reverse its planned cuts to higher education spending.
The new prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has indicated in his interviews that the government would review its higher education proposals, including deregulation of the higher education sector and university fees. Unless Turnbull reverses the spending cuts, students who enrol in future would have debts of more than $100,000 after completing their degrees.
