Comment: University Tuition Fees

Massive proposals for increases in tuition fees at UK universities has sparked widespread furore, and cries of injustice are being heard not only amongst the protests of those most affected (the students), but also within the education industry, and parliament itself.

Still in the process of being reviewed, the increases in tuition fees – some suggesting a raise of up to four times the current amount – supposedly support claims that increased fees will ensure that UK universities continue to deliver world class education of the highest standard – Undoubtedly something that the government places great importance upon not only for Londoners, but also for the considerable number of foreign students attracted to studying in London too.

The quandary for students however, is perhaps more complex than it may seem – While lower income households are screaming blue murder (with support of the National Union of Students – the NUS), menaced by the thought of not being able to afford university at all, middle class students may be worse affected, missing out on bursaries provided to bridge the gap for the poorer attendees.  Look at the situation from all sides, and it seems there wont be any winners in this situation – except the government.

Be that as it may, the UK poses some intriguing questions when it comes to university education – some that clearly expose the British government’s frequent short-sightedness, and particularly at a time when strong economic management and foresight are imperative.

At present levels, Britain spends just 0.9% of its GDP on universities – a vast difference compared to the rest of Europe, which also lags behind the United States’ figure of 2.7%.  Asking students to incur a cost that the government is effectively saying they are no longer willing to fully commit to is a failure – not only to its people, but to the future of an economy that is still struggling to free itself from the grip of a crippling recession.

Amongst all the noise though, it is as hard as ever to recognise any real dialogue, let alone a positive and fair solution – especially when some are suggesting (with unnecessary malice, it seems) that policy-makers and university vice-chancellors are out to bleed dry for their own financial benefit students and parents alike.

In the public arena though, debate has so far been dodged. Wes Streeting of the NUS has warned against “the scale of public opposition” and “the level of student anger”, though very rarely choosing to offer dialogue, in favour of a more belligerent approach – with very little focus on solutions – something which the NUS has failed to achieve in the past.

Undoubtedly, transparent, public debate is essential for this topic to be amicably solved.  Governments responsible for diversifying their population have a commitment to contribute to, support or subsidise a nation’s higher education system – for the benefit of its people, and its economy. The sting of a recession shouldn’t be an excuse to neglect something that will surely see repercussions in the future. Concisely reviewing departmental performance, and genuinely measuring efficiency, relevance and need across the board, will no doubt facilitate measures to eliminate unnecessary costs – without sacrificing jobs as well.

Government should surely be encouraging business to sponsor the nation’s important sectors, while fees for courses usually associated with lower income earners (as well as the opposite end of the spectrum) should be heavily graded.  Some anger over this proposed increase is certainly justifiable, but without creating a dialogue for solutions, any opposition to these changes is simply barking into the wind.

Carlos Hurworth – http://theinsideoutside.wordpress.com

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Tags: Education, Politics, Student, University

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 17th, 2009 at 5:03 pm and is filed under Comment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.