That Girl from Derwent dwells on the value of religion this Christmas.
That Girl from Derwent has learned a few more things about prejudice since moving up North.
That Girl From Derwent reckons if you're going to be offensive, you should find a better reason.
That Girl from Derwent considers why it is that some words have wider implications than others.
University tuition fees have been capped since their introduction in 2006, as a trial period to see how effectively they would boost university funding, and to measure their effect on the students.
Nearly three years on, the idea is that the cap should be reviewed and, possibly, adjusted. As seen elsewhere in The Yorker, a report commissioned by the government believes that "a complete removal of the cap...[would] improve the quality of education provided".
.Good universities "do not come cheap"
The government has been advised to scrap the cap and are preparing to undergo a review of the system. The Conservatives stated that good universities "do not come cheap"; it does indeed look likely that the cap will be raised, at least to some extent, in the near future.
Bearing in mind the continuing worries over the state of university finances, we are likely to see some changes in the near future.
However, this is not to say that there is no debate to be had. The Liberal Democrats are still committed to scrapping tuition fees. The Labour candidate for York Outer, Cllr. James Alexander, believes the cap should stay and universities should make "efficiency savings".
The think-tank Reform supports a wholesale shake-up of the funding system; the cap being removed and undergraduates being given vouchers to be spent on further education.
It appears students around campus have plenty to say on the matter already:
Students' opinions on tuition fees.
So, do you support a rise in tuition fees? The benefits of the introduction of top-up fees apparently include students demanding more from universities and caring more about their courses.
Or do you oppose the extra demands being placed on students’ wallets?
As students with ever depleting bank accounts and soaring expectations of higher education, this is an issue which will directly affect us all.
I love Tim Wallace
comment deleted by the author Why's Jason Rose not commented?
Very good article. The debate, however, should not be focussed solely on whether the cap stays or goes. A full debate about how HE is funded it what would really benefit students and universities. For example, simply focusssing on the cap wont help part-time students who have to pay all their fees up-front, etc.
I can understand why I should be paying tuition fees, as I am not a British taxpayer, but frankly the idea of British citizens paying even more money for the fundamental human right of realising their potential is simply preposterous. £3300 is bad enough as it is.
So much for "education, education, education" and for equality of opportunity.
This serves as the best reply to all those who argued that top-up fees were not a slippery slope, and that the cap would prevent university education from becoming a privilege and province of the rich.
If the cap is lifted, all the prestigious universities will be charging £6000-£7000 a year, and they will be overran by public and private school graduates. Even more than they already are, that is, as currently only 45% of Oxford students come from state schools.
Meanwhile, ordinary people will either have to take on crippling debts to finance their studies, or they'll simply not go to university even if they have the desire and academic potential.
In a time of crisis, this is the worst thing that a government could ever think of doing. It is fundamentally unfair, extremely divisive and it is bound to ignite a strong reaction from students. If things get worse, then the possibility of kick-starting an Athens-style or French-style youth uprising would not be too distant.
Never thought I'd find myself agreeing with the chair of the Socialists, but #5 is spot on!
If the government had not gone to war in Iraq we'd still have more than enough money to fund HE. State money has been reallocated and HE has lost out significantly.
Fees are a terrible idea anyway, with a government target of 50% of ALL citizens having a university education, half of these degrees will be nothing other than a waste of money.
Labour, once again, have failed us entirely. Surely nobody who believes in free education, fairness in education or equality of opportunity can honestly support the labour party.
We already have two classes of university with the same level of fees. York is supposedly in the top bracket, I feel very sorry for those in the 'lower bracket' universities who pay £3K a year for 2 hours a week and a test at the end, without the prestige of a degree from a top 20 university.
Judging by your comment, I think you'd be surprised by how many things you're agreeing with the 'chair of the socialists'..
I strongly agree with #1 and #3
I agree with #5 and #6 except that I wouldn't pin the blame on Labour.
True, Labour paraded education around and then after a report said we should pay under £2000 they gave us £3000 p/a fees and it's a little odd but the Lib Dems haven't said what they'd do instead (increase taxes? Graduate tax?) and the Conservatives would give us a proper whipping with their abolition of the cap and destruction of higher education so frankly Labour are probably the best people at the moment.
The Lib Dems are pretty good but I am personally assuming that if they got into power they'd sort of forget about what they said and try to wriggle out of it because they won't be able to afford everything that they've promised. They won't get in though so it's a little irrelevant.
"Labour, once again, have failed us entirely. Surely nobody who believes in free education, fairness in education or equality of opportunity can honestly support the labour party"
And the conservatives are a better alternative?
comment deleted by the author
comment deleted by the author On the lesser of two evils question, I genuinely don't understand how you can argue being kicked in the balls is just as bad as being punched in the shoulder.
Raising the cap is an awful idea: it would create a market in education where the best unis can cream off the richest students. See America (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/3564531.stm). Problem is, a Tory gov would raise the cap even further and reduce means testing, while the Lib Dems have yet to propose any other mechanism for funding HE. By punishing Labour you will be punishing students even more, and punishing the rest of the country to boot.
I personally would prefer a graduate tax and - when the economy recovers - a larger contribution from business. This recognises that students and the economy as a whole benefit from HE, while not resulting in a load of up-front debt that puts off students from lower socio-economic and ethnic minority backgrounds (Sutton Trust Study, 08).
Incidentally, York Labour Club has recently passed a motion strongly opposing lifting the cap, and stating that our campaigning priorities will be highly dependent on how MPs vote on the issue.
David Levene
Chair, York University Labour Club
There are a lot of Labour MPs who feel strongly on this issue and we'll see to what extent that feeling runs among the backbenchers. Hopefully much deeper than it can appear.
I suspect that once MPs realise that not everybody in the country goes to private school, Oxbridge and gets a job in Westminster they'll understand the point about scaring off the middle- and lower-classes.
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