Over-60s are told: go back to university and retrain
25 February, 2013
The UK government suggested that 60+ old people should go to university to retrain because they will be expected to work for longer before retirement: the state pension age is to rise to 67 by 2028. And one in four people will be older than 65 by 2033, so economists warn that the ageing population will place an unsustainable burden on taxpayers unless more people work for longer.
Mr. David Willetts, the higher education minister, said the age limit on student loans to cover tuition fees had been lifted, making a degree course “great value” for older people. However, economists and pension experts voiced their doubts that prospective pensioners would be willing to commit to challenging degree courses and increased levels of debt to continue working.
As an imminent reaction to a recent article published by The Telegraph, 1211 people commented on Mr.Willetts’ proposal with scorn and humor basically confirming the out-of-touch reputation of the minister.
Nevertheless, the issue of global aging is going to rise in importance for the years to come. Europe in particular needs to get ready to meet many related challenges by intensifying research on the impact of the ageing population on public services.
Full report on The Telegraph site:
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