Students and graduates want all tuition fees to be scrapped
by Mike Barnard on 19th June 2007
Four out of five students and graduates have called for all tuition fees to be scrapped following Scotland's ditching of its tuition endowments.
And more than half claim universities do not put the existing fees to good use.
Milkround hosted an online poll for users to air their views on tuition fees following Scotland's ending of its £2,000 tuition endowment payments.
More than 500 responded, with 80 percent calling for all tuition fees in the UK to be scrapped. A total of 52 percent said the money raised by tuition fees isn't put to good use by universities and only 15 percent disagreed. The remaining third said they didn't know whether the money was put to good use or not.
When asked what alternatives to tuition fees could be introduced if they were abolished, a third said universities should explore other funding options and 31 percent claimed tougher university selection procedures could be used to lessen the numbers in higher education, and therefore the level of funding needed. Another popular request, with 19 percent of the votes, was for a tax on high earners to pay for university education.
Milkround also asked for feedback about tuition fees in general. One said: "They are absurd. I pay £3,000 a year for three hours of contact a week for 25 weeks of the year." Another added: "It is only fair if Scotland's graduates get their fees abolished that all UK students have the same benefits as it will be our taxes that will go towards paying for Scottish education."
Others called for a lowering of the top up fee. Many echoed the view that academic institutions should have a fee as those who receive higher education should support themselves financially, but allowing them to implement top-up fees has resulted in an inequitable system and a ludicrous amount of debt for most students.
Milkround Online spokesman Mike Barnard said: "The rising costs of being a student, and the resulting debt on graduation, will always mean tuition fees are seen in a predominantly negative light, but this has been heightened by the scrapping of Scotland's tuition endowment. The results speak for themselves with 80 percent of our users calling for all tuition fees to be scrapped and half claiming universities do not do enough with the money.
"If tuition fees are to shed their negative image, it is up to the universities to be more explicit with the way the extra funding helps improve further education. Unless a concession is made in response to the decision in Scotland, the issue of tuition fees and the debt they add to will face close examination from critics.
"Although it is easy to ask for tuition fees to be abolished, a major factor is whether there are viable alternatives to the current tuition fee system that can be agreed upon. It will also be interesting to see how the shape of further education changes in Scotland."