Student Hardship

On the issue of student tuition fees here in England, I feel very strongly.

Some of this comes from a sense of guilt. I was lucky enough to have recieved a monetary grant to do my degree back in the good ol' days. Not so long ago in fact, at the end of the 1980's and beginning of the 1990's. I was probably one of the last students to benefit from grant aid and still things were pretty tough.

All of this aside however, I am wondering how it would be if there were no university students. After all, who exactly benefits from their knowledge? Is it just the graduates? Society would surely come to a stand still in all of its necessary functions. And for those of you who believe that the would be artists, designers, 'movers and shakers' are not in need of a degree, I do not agree. Student life provides a hub of opportunity to make real life connections with others, to bounce and share ideas and knowledge, which is just as important as the lectures and seminars.

Whereas I understand the need for our universities to have the financial means to maintain international standing, I also believe that as everyone benefits then we should all be prepared to pay. The current proposal is for our students to take on a large 'loan'. Including living expences, many will be needing £50,000 and more by the time they have finished their studies, and this is probably an underestimate. For most it is a shocking amount of money to be in debt by, and will impair the chance of home ownership in the future. Even more worrying is that it will be prohibitively expensive for those who do not have the luxury of parents and family with 'means'. Quite literally some people will be priced out of the market and the opportunity for gaining a university degree will not be available. It can be deduced from this that there may be a class divide as to who gains and who doesn't. To add insult to injury, the new fees will come into force in 2012, which is far too soon for most families with children wishing to attend over the next year or so to make financial adjustments to help cover the costs. It is not surprising therefore that so many have been protesting so adamantly at these injustices.

This is a backward step for our country and for those Liberal Democrat MP's who have reneged on their signed pledge not to raise university student tuition fees, they know it regardless of how they squirm in denial. I finish as I began, even though I did not sign a pledge, I personally feel very embarrassed at having been given the opportunity to obtain my degree with grant aid, but my son does not. I have one year to adjust after making financial plans for the past seventeen of my child's life to give him some assistance. What I can offer will only cover half of his costs, but if I had been given better advanced warning, I might have been able to do more.