[Tehnix]

>Many 'students' would probably be in a better financial situation than a non-'student' who is trying to learn. Somehow 'education' has turned into a tool for passing on privilege.

What? You mean to say that students, who spend all their time studying (and pay tuition in some countries), are in a better financial position than people who has either free time and don't pay tuition, or has a full-time job?

They give it to students because that the reality is that students often don't have any spare money for tools, but they do indeed need/use them for their education etc.

[trwhite]

Did you consider those who don't have the time to work a full time job? I'm interning as a Junior Webdev for 9 hours a day on no pay, and college is out of reach (financially) for me, although admittedly I'm probably a minority. It's not surprising that many of my students friends do have alot of excess cash though, considering that student living costs are relatively low and they often benefit from a wide range of discounts on amenities like internet etc.