The NUS has attacked government proposals to test the ID card scheme on teenagers opening a bank account or taking out a student loan
Students have launched a stinging attack on UK government proposals to make young people "guinea pigs" for ID cards.
Leaked Home Office documents reveal teenagers may need an ID card to open a bank account or take out a student loan from 2010 — making them among the first people to have the biometric cards in the UK.
The National Union of Students (NUS) described the revelation in the leaked National Identity Scheme Delivery Strategy document as "morally reprehensible" and said it would bog students down in red tape.
NUS vice president for welfare, Ama Uzowuru, said: "It is extremely disappointing that the government is planning to use students as guinea pigs for this scheme by forcing them to take on ID cards in order to apply for a loan.
"Besides being morally reprehensible, this plan is also completely impractical. The student loan system is complicated enough as it is, without introducing yet another layer of bureaucracy to the process. Many students change address at least once a year and would be obliged to report such ...   more »