Region. UWS calls for more education funding

ABS figures from the 2006 census show only 3.2 per cent of the Greater Western Sydney population are attending university, compared with 5.3 per cent of the population in the rest of Sydney. "For almost 20 years, UWS has been instrumental in opening up higher education opportunities for people who have traditionally been denied a university education," said vice-chancellor, Professor Janice Reid. UWS is one of Australia's largest universities, with 52 per cent of its students being the first in their families to attend university, and two thirds coming from Greater Western Sydney. UWS has called on the Federal Government to significantly increase higher education funding in order to lift the participation rate of people undertaking university study.