University Fees

[Laura Lyman]

I'm a student in Scotland so have to pay no fees whatsoever. Thank goodness. I don't mind the idea of paying something back once you have graduated and are earning a decent wage but i don't think students should be paying fees to attend universit. Education should be free to everyone.

[spike]

Lucky thing.

The year the Scottish pariament announced no fees for Scottish students studying in Scotland was the yeat I started uni. Course, they would announce this AFTER I agreed to study in England.

[Admin]

Lucky me, I started Uni the first year after grants were abolished.

And I agree, I wouldn't mind paying back something after graduating. That way I could pay what I thought it was worth. My university course was an absolute mess, with 75% of my weekly timetable spent studying unrelated subjects. GCSEs and GCEs are for proving that you're capable. You shouldn't need to keep proving yourself at the university level. I felt sorry for the foreign students on my course who had no option other than to pay their fees, which I think were in the region of £5,000 - £7,000. My fees were no way near that much, but I still had to pay them.

And I think the definition of 'means tested' varies from council to council when you submit your forms to see if you can get a contribution to for part payment of fees.

The problem with grants was that people were going to university when they really they shouldn't have been. People were going to study something like, I don't know, advanced drawing with a 2B pencil whilst getting free money to live off. These people were supposed to get jobs after school.

I think universities need to distinguish between what's neccessary and what's not. The Government moans about the increasing skills gap in society. Courses that give back to society should be free. Courses that are studied because they're enjoyable, like fine art, animation, film and video, these type of courses should be paid for by the student.

Some of the smartest people are not going to university to study to become a doctor or a teacher because they can't afford it. As far as Labour's treatment of the student goes, they pretty much involved themselves in a huge motorway pile up. And there is not much chance of them getting out of it without injuring themselves in some way.

I'm from the first generation of people who had to pay up front fees and I have a student loan to pay back. Do I think it was worth it? No. Was the university up to the standard I had hoped for? No. Have I wasted several thousand pounds that wasn't mine in the first place on something that has gotten me nowhere? Yes. Would I vote Labour? Hell, no!

Labour is supposed to be the party for the working classes. Tories for the middle classes and the Lib Dems are for whatever suits them. Why is Labour sitting on the Tory fence?

Labour have lost the students. And they're going to lose a lot of support from working adults because of that other huge issue that is going to erupt - the council tax. The only reason Labour could win a third term would be if there is no alternative. And not because we approve of their methods.

[Laura Lyman]

I completely agree. I think that if one of the three main parties appealed to students they could do significantly better. There are a lot of votes to be won from students and Labour will not win them if the price of an education continues to rise.

[DarkHoarse]

While I totally agree with the sentiment, I wouldn't use the fees issue as a reason not to vote Labour. Whichever party was in power after 1997 would definitely have introduced compulsory fees. It was inevitable; it was inevitable from the day the Tories started cutting back grants when I was at university. They'd have done just the same as Labour. Even the "say the most crowdpleasing thing because we won't get elected anyway" Lib Dems would've had to do it.

[pðtù§]

The think is, at the last election the Lib Dems said taxes would have to go up at least 1% and Labour said 'over our dead bodies'.... There should be dead Reds all over the place.

And I have to agree, what the Lib Dems say may be just a device to gain more and more support.

Labour may have a questionable track record but it's worth remembering they came straight after 18 years of Tory rule. Tories, who came up with the idea for the millenium dome (a staggering waste of taxpayers money). Tories who renamed poll tax council tax. But Labour is not completely off the hook. As far as the dome goes, they could have said no, forget it.

I read a comment on news.bbc.co.uk along the lines of 'I'm pleased Labour is freeing up prison space by releasing muggers and burglars into society so they can lock up menacing pensioners who refuse to pay council tax'. Made me laugh, but once again, it's true.

[cuddles]

The Lib dems managed to get rid of up front fees in Scotland in 2000. Although you still have to pay the endowment tax when your earning more money - can't remember the number.

Certain courses, medical ones are completly funded I think. I'm not doing that kind of course at uni so I'm not sure.

It may not be ideal to have to pay for the education, but at least they don't want the money before you get the service.