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THE COURIER Monday November 28 2011
news
Minister suggests that tuition fee rise should be seen as a tax and not a debt Morgan Ayre
When the coalition unveiled its plans to treble university tuition fees, the Liberal Democrats bore the brunt of the anger. However, in a recent Guardian interview, the Minister for Universities and Science, David Willetts, has revealed his support of the rise. Mr Willetts sees the increase in fees not as a debt, but a form of income tax; he claims that students and parents of students have no need to be frightened of the £9,000 figure. This is due to the fact that the graduate repayment scheme works in a similar fashion to income tax; if graduates are earning under £21,000 a year at any point, repayment stops. If earnings go over £21,000 repayment is 9% of earnings, which would mean that those on a salary of £25,000 would pay £30 a month. Mr Willetts believes that the repayment of loans is simply a “flow of payments over a lifetime.” Despite the reassurances from David Willetts and other coalition members, a lot of incoming students do not welcome the expensive fees some institutions will be charging. UCAS has revealed that university applications are down by 12% this year and it is highly likely that the change in the finance of higher education is a key factor. Some students will naturally be basing their choices on the size of debt they will have, rather than the quality of education they will receive. Apart from the increase in costs, the fees are not fixed and are at the institution’s discretion, leading some to continuously change the amount they will charge per year. This adds another level of frustration for students who are now under pressure to submit applications quickly, as some universities have decided not to charge the full £9,000 they intended to. There have been suggestions that the British education system will become more elitist, similar to the US Ivy league style of education, with the wealthiest students gaining a higher standard of teaching and environment. The creation of the New College of the Humanities, a new private £18,000 per year university in London with some of the world’s leading
experts such as Niall Ferguson and Richard Dawkins, illustrates the potential shift. While David Willetts is a supporter of the higher tuition fees, he is also a believer in variety when it comes to universities. Therefore, when asked about New College of the Humanities, Mr Willetts simply said that he believed in diversity. David Willets has also advocated the creation of universities out of old office blocks to vary education. One Newcastle student, Bex Lambson, is not convinced by any of Mr
Willett’s arguments. She believes the huge jump in costs alone will put people off and make them think “why now? Why that much?” Bex further sees his calls for diversity as a “contradiction, because it is not the most intelligent that get a good university but the richest. “Private universities and even converted offices will really increase the gap in inequality in society; you will go to the cheapest you can because you can afford it.” Another Newcastle student, Susan Swain, does not think that Mr Wil-
lett’s calls for diversity in terms of private and non-private universities will catch on. Speaking to The Courier, she said, “We’ve got enough universities as it is.” Susan also went on to explain how she believes that the top universities will be harder to get into. David Willett’s interview was an attempt to reassure students and to justify the large gap between what could be the very best to the very worst universities. However, the debate continues, as a lot of the public are still not convinced.
Universities and Science Minister, David ‘Two-Brains’ Willetts, was part of a generation that were given grants to enter higher education Photography: bisgovuk (Flickr)
“Debate now making War and Peace seem as long as a Penguin book” Phillipa Hull Commentary
I think David Willetts is correct in that students should view the repaying of student fees as a graduate tax of sorts rather than a debt. I also think the view that increasing fees will prevent poorer students from going to university is a myth. That is not to say some won’t be deterred but the assertion that increased fees will prevent them full stop is a fiction. Nobody needs to pay for tuition fees up-front and the costs of living are covered by the maintenance loan. The size of this maintenance loan is based on an individual’s household income so people from poorer backgrounds will have access to more money. Furthermore, the fact that the size of repayments are based on the size of your income, rather than a flat amount, means repayment is far easier to cope with than a conventional bank loan. For example, you might be expected to pay a 10% contribution of your annual income in repayments, but not a flat £5,000 regardless of your income. I also believe the creation of private universities like the New College of Humanities will not adversely affect the UK’s higher education system. Just because it costs more to go to doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily receive a better standard of education. However, what there can be no doubt about is that higher fees and larger repayments will only make things more difficult in the future for today’s young people. In particular, the age of first home ownership will be delayed as people will likely be paying their loans off well into their thirties at least.
Metro workers set to go on strike
Clare Atkinson Metro staff have announced a day of strike action on November 30. This comes as a result of a protest vote from RMT trade union workers. It will see Metro workers join thousands of other professionals, such as, teachers and police officers, in a day of strikes across the country. Workers at Nexus, the owners of the Metro system, say the action is necessary following what they call “a government threat to their pensions.” A new government policy wants to see public sector workers take a num-
ber of hits to their pensions. These include, workers’ paying more into their pensions, working for longer, and accepting a scheme based on a ‘career average’ salary. Currently, workers’ pensions are based upon their final salary. This means that earning a higher salary towards the end of your career can see workers better off in retirement. However, the new policy of a ‘career average’ takes into account all previous salaries and averages them out, generally leaving individuals worse off. The whole country is set to see a day of strikes on November 30, with Nexus staff in particular striking from
00.01am to 23.59pm. Among the other walkouts are staff from schools, probation workers and bus drivers. Particularly due to school and public transport strikes, there are concerns over the level of disruption this could cause. Many companies have yet to declare whether or not they will be partaking in the strike action, whilst Newcastle University has announced it will remain open. It is, however, the choice of individual lecturers and staff members as to whether or not they choose to work on this day. Although, Nexus announced on November 23 the intention of their
workers to strike. Craig Johnson, regional organiser for the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers, said employees had voted for strike action in their protest vote. Speaking on the subject, he said “The bottom line here is that workers want to ensure they have a strong future, and they do not want to see the government walk all over those hopes.” “We are not going to pay for a financial problem which we are not to blame for. There is still time for the government to come forward with a better offer and we would urge ministers to do so. We don’t want to bring this disruption to people and to the
regional economy, but we have been left with no choice.” The Metro system is widely used by students, particularly as it serves the popular residential area of Jesmond. With the day of strikes being a Wednesday, it coincides with sports afternoon and could therefore cause chaos, with many unable to attend sports training or matches at far out locations. Individuals are urged to use alternative means of transport such as buses as far as possible, but as of yet, it is unclear just how much chaos the strike will cause.