I love that my Twitter feed has recently been dominated by people's thoughts on tuition fees and cuts to higher education, illustrating the fact that this is an issue close to many people's hearts (although I am probably following a disproportionate number of student activists!). I've actually been meaning to post something about the whole tuition fees fiasco for a while however I must admit I find it quite difficult to write about the subject as I have such mixed feelings. I won't pretend that this isn't at least partially due to a lack of political insight (I mean why couldn't Clegg just vote the way he said he would? Surely a bit of awkwardness between his new Tory pals won't be half as bad as being hunted down by a mob of angry students?!). The other reason for my reluctance to commit to one stance is my genuine conflicting view points on the whole matter of fees and funding.
Firstly, I want to make it clear that I do fully empathize with every single student who currently feels they're at the bottom of the Government's list of priorities. Having only graduated relatively recently myself (and now working in a Students' Union) I am more than aware of the implications tripling tuition fees will have for future generations of young people. It's horrendous to think that there are thousands of sixth formers who have suddenly been made to feel like their future ambitions have been snatched away from them. Likewise, the creation of a market in higher education is a thought which doesn't even bear entertaining. There is far too much University snobbery as it is- assigning a monetary value to institutions will just make it even harder for people to see the importance of vocational courses as opposed to simply focussing on the more 'academic' qualifications.
On the other hand, I don't think it would be fair for the higher education sector to be exempt from all of the recent spending cuts. Whilst University is incredibly important, so is the NHS, our schools and countless other public services which are all struggling for much needed funding. It's all very well fighting for sixth formers to go to University but what about those children entering secondary school without basic literacy skills because their Primary education wasn't up to scratch? I personally think we have a much bigger battle on our hands in terms of this country's education.
Last Thursday was a devastating day for many as we saw the current cap being lifted and a University education now costing £9000 per year. Some of the guys from work went to Parliament to watch the vote and said that there were people actually in tears when the result was announced. When I think back to how my mind worked when I was 18, I am hardly surprised that sixth formers are taking one look at the price tag of higher education and resigning themselves to a degree-less future. I do, however, feel this is where intervention is needed. A lot of the issues surrounding widening participation are down to people's varying perceptions. Student debt is the same regardless of your background- the main difference is the help you may or may not have when it comes to paying it back. I understand that there are some students whose tuition fees will come straight out of Daddy's bank account however most of us are not in that privileged position. The majority of people I know are completely on their own when it comes to dealing with their student debt, regardless of their family's income . A hike in tuition fees is bad news for many reasons however it does not necessarily have to deter people from poorer backgrounds as much as we predict it will. As Clegg and co. said, we need to ensure that every young person is aware of the reality of University costs (ie. you do not need to stump up £9000 upfront!) so that they see higher education as a real option for them and not some out of reach fantasy.
Despite the above points, I am certainly not saying we have to take the increase in tuition fees lying down. Our Government made a promise to us which they broke- of course we need to hold them to account. I am so proud of the students who journeyed to London at the crack of dawn to take part in the National Demo on the 10th November. As my friend said on facebook recently: 'the days of apathetic students are no more'. This could not be more true and it makes me so happy to be part of a generation that is standing up and fighting for change.
I could now launch into a rant about my views on the 'protestors' who saw the march last Thursday as a chance to riot and put others in danger however I will save that for another day. Suffice to say, it upset me to see so much good work being undermined by violence and destruction. On a related note, occupying University buildings also seems fairly pointless in my eyes- surely the majority of university staff are bound to be just as angry about cuts to their place of work as students are?!
This already lengthy blog post could go on for much longer however I'll wrap it up now. Whatever your feelings are about the future of higher education, chances are you're impressed by the sheer determination of young people to ensure our politicians don't go down the same old route of broken promises again.
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