Tuition fees – this issue appears again and again like a nightmare. Even though the problem of tuition fees may not affect everyone in Britain it is still a burning issue for many young Britons and young foreigners who come to the UK to gain education.
A couple a days ago I talked to a friend of mine – a young English girl who has just graduated from Essex University. After three years she has ended up not only with her degree but also with a huge debt of nine thousand pounds.
I am a student myself, fortunately in Wales which means that after graduation my tuition fees debt will ‘only’ be about four thousand pounds (excluding travel and living costs).
The UK has the best universities in Europe and some of the best in the world. “Nothing comes out of nothing” and I understand that huge sums of money are necessary to keep proper academic standards. The question is, however, if (especially!) the Labour government should put such a big financial burden on the shoulders of hundreds of thousands of young people living and studying in Britain? Doesn’t it oppose the slogans of social justice and equality preached by Labour?
Despite what the opposition parties may be saying at the moment, Nick Clegg has not abandoned the party’s opposition to top-up fees. He has simply stated that, given the state of the country’s finances, it will not be an immediate priority: The party’s pre-mainfesto identifies immediate priorities and those that will (unfortunately) be delayed for a while until the government’s finances are in a better state.
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UK universities and colleges have to charge economic fees. They don’t have endowments on the same scale as US institutions. Students should not be deprived of a university education because their families are not rich. In straitened economic times, the only conclusion is that the government should grant more money but to the most deserving students. We should unsubscribe from the Labour doctrine that everyone is entitled to go to university and that universities should not be elitist institutions.
Delaying the opposition to top-up fees is a necessary and wise position for Nick to take. I have wanted us to get to grips with this for a while now as it’s one thing we could implement when we are out of a recession, but during a recession we have to compromise and prioritise other things.
I completely agree Frank,
Like all public services, the false promises of ‘free for all’ must end – Labour never had the guts to admit that university for >50% was a cheap (and expensive) target. I think Nick clegg is doing the right thing in being honest about FE funding – you can’t front up to the budgetary restraint we will require and pretend everything is still deliverable. It may be possible, something halfway might be possible – but if you can’t see the bleak books, let alone start trying to cost out 2011-2014, how can you promise public service sanctity with any sincerity?