Stop adding interest to student loans during maternity/paternity leave

Closed 68 signatures

What the petition asks

The Government should stop interest being added to a loan whilst a parent is on maternity/paternity leave. People who do not have children will have more of their loan paid off compared to those without children. This is penalising graduate parents for having children and an education.

Loan repayments stop if a parent on maternity/paternity leave income drops below £26,575 – but the interest doesn’t. It means that many graduates are effectively being financially penalised for having children. For example, both parents are graduates from the same course, at the same university and from the same academic year. One parent takes his/her full maternity/paternity leave. One will a much bigger loan than the other, because interest continues to build even on leave.

Timeline

17 Feb 2021	Petition opened for signatures
17 Aug 2021	Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 68

Status Closed

Department Department for Education

Opened 17 Feb 2021

Closed 17 Aug 2021

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