Student debt fears prompts Wrexham teen to question politicians

Teenagers wanting to go to university are left fearing the consequences of debt, with one 18-year-old so worried, he went on TV to ask politicians for answers. Sixth former Sam Jones, from Llay near Wrexham, asked the panel, drawn from Wales' six biggest parties, what they planned to do to help support young people so they are "not racking up obscene amounts of debt". Jones said he had spent a lot of time debating whether he should go to university because of the amount of debt he would have to pay after, and was considering dropping his higher education plans in favour of an apprenticeship, but decided he needed a degree for a career in the civil service. The Welsh government has called its living costs support "the most generous" in the UK, while NUS Cymru said it would like to see "more ambition" from political parties standing in the election. "It was a question that had to be asked," said Jones, who feels he is being forced to take on a substantial amount of debt to get a degree so he can pursue his chosen career. He said focusing on jobs in certain sectors meant "you're forced to have the debt". As a member of the BBC Wales Your Voice live debate programme in March, he said h