University scholarships for children of Armed Forces casualties
Families of servicemen and women killed on active duty will benefit from publicly-funded higher education scholarships, the Government has announced today, Monday 4 October 2010
A geography lesson at Duke of York's Royal Military School (stock image) [Picture: Crown Copyright/MOD 2009]
The new scheme will apply to the children of servicemen and women killed on active military service since 1990, giving them the chance to take up university scholarships.
The Government also announced the continuation and expansion of a scheme to pay tuition fees for Service leavers undertaking level 3 further education or undergraduate higher education courses for the first time, funded by the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills and the Ministry of Defence.
Universities and Science Minister, David Willetts, said:
There is one group of families to whom we have a special debt. No-one will forget the debt we owe to the extraordinarily brave men and women who have fought in Iraq and are still in Afghanistan.
I can confirm today that my Department plans to set aside funding to pay for new higher education scholarships for the children of deceased servicemen and women.
And we plan to go further. It is a scandal that anyone, on leaving the Armed Forces, should then face hard times. We owe them a debt and we should repay that debt where we can.
That is why I have also confirmed with the Ministry of Defence that my Department plans to continue funding the scheme that pays for Service leavers to get new qualifications, and we plan to offer an enhanced scheme that covers more ex-Service personnel.
Secretary of State for Defence, Dr Liam Fox, said:
Our Armed Forces have made and continue to make great sacrifices for our security and our country. We, as a nation, have a duty to support our Armed Forces for all they do for us.
I welcome this announcement which highlights the Government’s commitment to ensuring our Armed Forces have the support they need, and that veterans and their families are treated with the dignity they deserve.
Implementation of these announcements is subject to the outcome of the Browne Review into Higher Education.
Level 3 further education qualifications hold an equivalent assessment value to A-levels.