Tuition Fees
February 24, 2015 5:27 PM
By John Marriott - Lincoln, Sleaford and North Hykeham in Letter to The Guardian
Originally published by East Midlands Liberal Democrats
By John Marriott - Lincoln, Sleaford and North Hykeham in Letter to The Guardian
Originally published by East Midlands Liberal Democrats
What is it about tuition fees that appears to get politicians into so much trouble?
They have proved to be the stick with which to beat Nick Clegg and the Lib Dems and now they might also be used on Ed Balls and Labour.
The facts are simple. When I attended university in the 1960s I was one of only a fraction of the population that did. No wonder the state could afford to pay for most of us. Now, with nearly half a million students, that cost would be unacceptable to many people (and politicians). In any case, judging by the numbers still prepared to pay the price, charging doesn't appear to have acted as a deterrent.
We need to rethink how we view higher and further education, with far more emphasis on the end product. With so many graduates failing to find permanent employment in their chosen careers it's about time that we looked more seriously at courses with a genuine vocational element to them.
My generation probably could afford to be more self indulgent, especially as employment then was easier to find. Can that really apply to today's?