London – The number of British students enticed by jobs in the sex industry enabling them to afford their ballooning education fees is on the rise, according to a new report. The National Union of Students (NUS) claimed in the report that more students are seduced by the “dangerous” jobs and are resorting to them as the last chance to pay for the cost of studying at university, the Daily Telegraph reported.
Last year, the coalition government adopted plans to increase university tuition fees by up to £9,000 in first-degree universities, an act which triggered nationwide protests and widespread violence.
A survey into the universities’ plans showed that almost two-thirds of the universities charged the maximum fees for all of their courses, irrespective of the calls that vice-chancellors should only impose £9,000 fees in “exceptional circumstances.”
The NUS said a large number of students were also turning to gambling or taking part in medical experiments to earn money.
“Students are taking more dangerous measures,” said the NUS national women’s officer.
“In an economic climate where there are very few jobs, where student support has been massively cut, people are taking more work in the informal economy, such as sex work,” she said.
“It’s all dangerous unregulated work, simply so people can stay in education.”
Under the coalition’s reforms, the education maintenance allowance (EMA), which offered bursaries to 16 to 19-year-olds, has also been scrapped.
