Medical students' anger at Hyslop's U-turn over fees

Published on Saturday 11 April 2009 11:09

EDUCATION Secretary Fiona Hyslop has come under fire from medical students accusing her of a U-turn over scrapping top-up fees.

Ms Hyslop strongly opposed the introduction of extra fees for medical students back in 2006 when they were introduced – but she has refused to scrap them now that the SNP is in power at Holyrood.

Students have hit out at her decision to keep the additional fees, which she originally described as "wrongheaded".

They want her to scrap the top-up charges for medical students to make sure no-one is "priced out of learning".

But after writing to Ms Hyslop to ask her to stand by her original stance, Adam Ramsay, president of Edinburgh University Students' Association, received a response saying she has "no plans at this stage" to amend the level of tuition fees for undergraduate medical courses in Scotland.

Mr Ramsay said: "When this fee was introduced, Fiona Hyslop described it as 'wrongheaded' and said 'sometimes in politics there comes a moment to do the right thing. This is such a moment'.

"She (now] says that the Government has other priorities. But what could be more important than making sure that no-one is priced out of learning to be a doctor?"

The then Scottish Executive introduced higher fees for medical students from south of the border back in 2006. Ministers said that the changes were necessary to avert a staffing crisis in the Scottish NHS because large numbers of students were heading north for cheaper medical degrees, then returning to work for the health service in England.

Ms Hyslop said at the time: "Scottish education should be based on the ability to learn, not on the ability to pay."

Lothians Green MSP Robin Harper, who is the party's education spokesman, believes the Education Secretary should stand by what she said back then. He said: "Fiona Hyslop campaigned against these fees when they were introduced, but now she's the Minister she won't act.

"It's wrong to dissuade students from poorer backgrounds from becoming doctors, especially given the continued shortage of medical staff across the country, and it's ludicrous to impose higher fees on a subject where we have such a strong international reputation."

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "With Westminster imposing the tightest financial settlement since devolution, the Scottish Government has had to make hard choices and identify areas of priority.

"Despite this, the Scottish Government is investing a higher proportion of its spending in Scotland's universities than the previous administration – up from 3.73 per cent to 3.79 per cent."