Another post on university tuition fees

I read today about how a lawyer is preparing to challenge Scotland over tuition fees - that is, someone's finally taking a stand on the Scots getting free university places in Scotland and charging all other Brits up to nine thousand quid per year. Excellent! I've always said that the non-Scottish taxpayer shouldn't have to be paying for the Scots to attend university - why should they have any more right than the Welsh, Northern Irish or English to free university places, particularly when the money largely comes from Welsh, NIsh and English taxes? This irks me. *Scowls*

In the next paragraph of the same news story (on the BBC News page) was a tale of two (non-Scottish) students who are attempting to sue the government (I think) over the increase in tuition fees, on the grounds that they "discriminate against the poorer students and those from minority backgrounds." Um. WHAT?! It goes on to say in the next breath that the fees are paid back in installments after one graduates and is earning more than £21,000 per annum. This is an immediate contradiction to the students' claims. I've pointed out before that if one is paying back the money after one has graduated and is earning their own money, the ability to pay has NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with how rich or poor one's parents are when they leave for university.

I will be the first to admit that I'd personally love for fees to be lower, but really, there is a big loan for the country to pay off and the money has to come from somewhere. Would YOU rather the NHS budget was slashed? Students who really want to go to university won't be put off by the rise in tuition fees, and if one has second thoughts about going because of the rise, it only suggests that they don't want to go for the right reasons, and as such ought not to be encouraged.


On a semi-related note, A-Level results came out a few days ago. I would use this blog to express my apathy over my results, but seeing as my school are violating section 7 of the Data Protection Act 1998 and withholding my results from me, I'll instead express apathy about not knowing them. Though really, the school are breaking the law and as such are to be frowned upon. Naughty bad school.



DFTBA