1) Being an adult student recently has made me more aware of the tuition fee problem. I agree that there should be a small fee charged to give students the incentive to work hard, but the proposed new fees are utterly absurd and dangerous when we as a country should be investing in students for a better future and all students should be on a level playing field. The debt of student fees should be cleared by the student each year by working in their spare time and over holidays. This is possible if the person is willing. Also it means that the debt will be clear by the time they start their professional work or interim position subject to employment vacancies. They can also still have fun!

2) Peaceful protests are required with regularity but without violence although I understand the frustration that some people feel by the political lies that have occurred.

3) So much money is wasted in this country when it should be invested in the future of the nation.

I hope someone uses their knowledge, intellect, power and position to have a beneficial influence in this conflict of scholars. Common sense should hopefully prevail.

i hope this does help

We have had 3 marches- the most successful being Tuesday’s march which gathered over 700 people and we were on the news that evening. Cambridge has completely peaceful protests apart from the the first when the police made 5 arrests for stupidity among some members of the public. Other than this we have had an absolutely great turnout with the marches and had students as young as 12 turning up because they have always been encouraged to want to go to university and now, with the rate we are going, we can’t because of the financial state. University shouldn’t be a financial investment its should be a right and the Liberal Democrats lied.

In London last week as I know you have probably all seen there were a huge amount of problems in Millbank where damage to buildings happened and the police started to use force on students not even of sixth form age yet where some ended up with broken ribs and legs. This was brought upon by the actions of Nick Clegg but yes I do also agree with the people saying that Labour got us into this mess. He said that Higher Education prices would go down not be tripled and that EMA would stay. Looking at it on the bigger picture by putting these prices up and having students not being able to afford to receive an education is just going to put Universities out of business which means unemployment to professors and teachers of the highest qualifications possible who have an exceptional amount of different qualifications themselves.

Over 70 different universities have occupied now including some in Wales where the price difference won’t apply to them but they are standing up for the thousands of other people that will have to deal with going to university and coming out with, yes, a very high standard qualification but also with a £40000 debt to deal with for pretty much the rest of their lives.

As I’m in my last year at secondary school I’ve always been told throughout my years “go to school”, “go to school” day after day with a negative response each time but now it’s turning into this situation-Parents: “go to school” Me: “Sorry, I can’t because Nick Clegg has been a bit of a backstabber to the whole of the United Kingdom population and I now can’t afford to get an education”. As for taxpayers-Should you pay for Mr Taxman’s mistake? And think about it- If you took a survey with the following options on: Health and Education, Royal Weddings and Pensions I guarantee that 99% of the population would put Royal Weddings at the complete bottom of the list and Health and Education at the top because it’s a right not a privilege.

Well can you see where I’m coming from here?

Now I’m sure Nick Clegg is an intelligent man, but surely he must’ve realised that this was a step too far. Sure he must’ve seen this a mile away. And surely he must’ve known the consequences of his actions.
We as students, voters and citizens of this country don’t want to pay exorbitant prices.
What we want is an education that we can afford; an education that we can take without worrying about debts and an education which we can use as a springboard for a future career.

With this rise, many students will bear the brunt of the financial collapse which is hardly their fault. Many students will be priced out of the opportunity of higher education and therefore be cast off from their dream job; be it a doctor, a lawyer or a lecturer.
Yet it is argued that apprenticeships can also act as a gateway to a future career but it must be asked: “Do apprenticeships offer the leaders of the future the chance to break into very competitive, oversubscribed jobs which require a degree?”

It isn’t just Nick Clegg’s fault but David Cameron’s as well. He was the fulcrum of this policy yet he wasn’t the one who lied, who cheated and who swindled the public for votes. Nick Clegg on the other hand did what politicians should never do…they should never make false promises.
And to rub salt further into the wound, it has been widely publicised that even before the elections, Nick Clegg knew of the unlikelihood of abolishing tuition fees.

In reference to Ken Fletcher’s argument of UK students having things swung in their favour, I must ask you to look at the bigger picture. International students have their fees higher than UK students because they are leaving their country to study in the UK. What this means is the country is unable to provide them with a higher education and this in turn leads to a loss of money. This money could be used to reinvest in the university itself, to improve standards.
Furthermore the fact that the country is losing potential university applicants would lead to the multiplier effect. The student would not study in their country and instead go to another one. They get a better standard of education of elsewhere which would increase their chances of finding employment there. Instead of working in their home country, they would be working somewhere else therefore meaning the money the government have spend putting the child through primary, secondary and upper education is wasted because the person is no longer working in their country and so cannot bring income into it.
For countries such as Kenya, this is becoming increasingly problematic as they lost their most skilled, most intelligent and most able students.

It will be the same for England too, albeit in a different form. The higher fees would drive some of the best students away from here to study oversees and leave the country without world leading professionals. England will become a wasteland of talent.

Thank you for taking your time in reading my argument.
I hope I have either supported you further or changed your mind.

received an opinion panel non-commital spouting on student protests, can I make a few points:

1: nursing students at Wolves uni are frighteningly apolitical and have adopted in general the unthinking consumerist personna.

2: the whole debate about student fees has been skewed by the cororate controlled media mannikins that play at reportage, the news is mainly laughable (or infuriating) propaganda nowadays

in days past, students used to have a more enlightened approach to social and political matters and were more or less uncensored in those views through their university rags and media

3: fortunatley a few intelligent voices have been given air on the ‘news’ some of them student reps but I would add that the apathy and lack of political awareness of students in general

or rather the purchase of unconscionable and sometimes unthinking materialism for its own sake has fomented the widespread social crisis, false education, and unprincipled short termism

that acts against enlightened self interest and for corporate dominion over every aspect of our lives – in other words students must get political and active as a matter of course and this politicisation should be

legislated for and incorporated into eduction to avoid the inevitable social evils and upheaval where corporatism and laissez faire marketing is left to its own parasitic devices!!!

4: as pointed out by the intelligent voices the whole crisis ‘non crisis’ has been generated by corporatist greed and economic violence against ‘the people’ – we have to have a significant controlling voice co-directing the world of corporatism, government and generate enlightened politics – for the benefit of the whole of society – corparations, banks, and the business community cannot possibly decide what is best for students and therefore the emergent social fabric. Their raison detre is profit and monopoly, not the ‘wealth of nations’ or social justice.

5: the universal declaration of human rights should be taught, embraced, understood, preached, nurtured and practised by all students and forums and a branch of the student union should offcially help coordinate this process of education and practice.

6: I applaud the students who have finally given over with doffing their cap’s to the priveleged and the academics who hide behind their academic credentials whilst encouraging political apathy

and compromised dull witted ‘education’ – they know who they are

and of course I support all the lecturers who have supported students and themselves in opposing these cuts,

they may now see the wisdom of arming their students with real knowledge and why they shouold encourage and reward altruism, free thought and creativity??!!

take this as a message of hope and support

Amar

This is why i think that this idea is going to be a complete and utter failure.

Thank you.

Non-EU students already pay nearly £9,000 per year to study here, which they have to pay upfront. UK students already get a very good deal in that they are given tuition fee loans that they only have to pay back once their income exceeds a certain threshold. Many graduates will go on to earn £60k per year plus, why shouldn’t they contribute fairly, not just £3,225 per year, to the education system that enabled them the achieve this position?

If there is any issue at all, it is perhaps that people gaining apprenticeships, with similar potential job earnings, are not required to contribute in the same way.

The reality is that many students education is already being affected. In order to prevent the education system from sliding further and becoming second rate, tuition fees need to rise. If not, the alternative must surely be, less places and the likelihood that our universities will once again become elitist.

As per usual, people only care about themselves. I believe that this country is in a terrible state at the moment in terms of the public finances. The way they have been spent over the last 13 years has been an absolute embarrassment. Complete and utter wastage. I am happy that the current government is taking the steps to control the finances properly and I trust that they are much more sensible with the money than the last Labour government.

In regards to education. The government has stated that for lower income families, the fees will actually be less. It is the higher income and middle income families that will have to pay more. I agree with this. It is a more equal to a student’s income. I also feel that with the higher prices, only those students serious about doing well will go to university. This will result in students leaving with better results and reclaiming the respect that the degree qualification deserves.

I am a student and I am in support of the Treasury’s decisions. I am positive that as money returns, spending will be allocated in a much fairer and balanced way than the last 13 years.

Thank you,
Ben

I am a mature student and I am glad that I have had the chance to be able to attend University this year as I am now covered for the three years of my attendance. However, if I wanted to further my education by acquiring a masters, I would be out of luck as I would fall in the extended fee payments, and with the best will in the world, there is no way I could pay the amount they are asking to go further.

The government are moaning constantly about people on the unemployment benefit but if you try to improve your situation or your education you are penalised for it.

So, the question is, now what is the mature student supposed to do if they need to improve their academic status to be able to acquire a job?

Grove can witter all he wants about the new repayment system but i see no problem with the current one. My mum has only just started earning £21,000, the new repayment threshold, and she never had a problem making student loan repayments before earning that much. I also fail to see how this will help the economy. Grove himself admitted that fewer student will end up repaying what they borrowed under this new system. So, the government will continue to lend out the money and is going to see less of it in return? And this is going to help our failing economy? I really can’t understand the logic there. It’s also highly unfair to penalise a generation of people too young to vote, something i feel very strongly about as i myself was too young this time around!

I’m totally against the violence at the protests but i went along to Newcastle’s on Wednesday which was peaceful. I was surprised by the number of high school students there but i guess that shows how important this matter is. I think the best moment of the day for me was when we were blocking the entrance to a shopping centre (waiting to get out) and a woman, looking like your stereotypcial chav although i didn’t want to judge, was pushing through the crowd kicking and hitting the students effing and blinding as went – effing students, what the eff do they think theyre doing, ere right i’m effing shoppin u get me? etc etc. She booted one girl who barely looked old enough to be in high school and this lass stood up, turned to her and said
“Just because you don’t have an education doesn’t mean you can stop me fighting for mine.”

However, for people like myself who dont have stupidly rich parents, coming out of Uni with a £40,000 debt will deter alot of very bright young people who simply cant afford to go, this is a bad thing as they may not be able to achieve what they wish to.

As to the stupid riots in London, trashing buildings is one step too far.