NUS launch offensive on top-up fees
Students are set to converge on London on October 29 to combat the introduction of variable tuition fees.
The demonstration is the zenith of the National Union of Students “Admission: Impossible” campaign. Starting at 12pm, student activitists and supporters will commence on a march through London, culminating in a rally at Trafalger Square. Two co-covernors of the campaign, Gemma Tumelty and Wes Streeting, have already been touring the country’s universities this month in a bid to gain support.
The implementation of the new top-up fees was brought in this year under the Higher Education Act 2004. The Act has introduced “variable” fees, which allow universities to charge full-time undergraduates up to £3,000 per annum. However, it has again been plunged into controversy after Parliament’s suggestion to lift the maximum fee cap. Universities will consequently be able to demand fees as high or low as they choose.
The NUS alleges that some universities will attempt to raise fees as high as £10,000 per undergraduate per year. With the average 2006 graduate already leaving Univesity with in £13,252 of debt, the introduction of higher fees could inflate post-graduation debt to £44,000 by 2023.
The NUS is concerned that top-up fees will supplant an ethos of learning with that of fiscal savvy, as regards higher education. The “Admission: Impossible” website states, “We believe education should be free for all…that education is a right not a commodity”. There are also concerns that the system of Higher Education will be assimilated into the consumer market, as applying to university becomes increasingly determined by the best “fee deal”.
Critics are saying that universities are competiting for students on monetary rather than academic terms, and have pointed to as demonstrated by Leeds Metropolitan University’s decision to opt for the lower fee variable of £2,000. As a result, their applications have increased by 8.3%. Conversely, the 2006 applications to University in general, decreased by 3.5% and a recent “Admission: Impossible” survey showed that 27% of high-achieving state school students are less inclined to pursue a university degree due to increasing fee concerns.
Although the maximum top-up fee rate is supposed to rise with inflation each year, the Act confirms that the rate will not be increased until 2010. As a pre-requisite of implementing the bill, Parliament must review the impact of variable fees and vote over a prospective fee increases by 2009/2010. “Admission: Impossible” has already taken action potentially to circumvent a decision to lift the £3,000 cap on fees, by way of an Early Day Motion (EDM). This is similar to a Parliamentary petition and has already gathered 98 signatures.
NUS have provided details on their < a href="www.officeronline.co.uk/admissionimpossible" title="link to admission impossible website">Admission: Impossible website regarding how to get involved, including a campaign guide.
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