Thomas Graham: Dump the debt stopping students learning

Published on Monday 14 September 2009 09:14

We must realise the value in world-class universities, says Thomas Graham

IN CALLING for tuition fees to be reintroduced, Lord Sutherland, former Principal of the University of Edinburgh, does a massive disservice to potential students. The idea that fees would help the poorest students get to university just isn't true – extra debt puts people off.

Last year, the Sutton Trust found that two thirds of school pupils who chose not to go on to higher education cited money worries as their main concern.

It's not enough that some of this money be diverted to bursaries. We still have a great deal to do in encouraging disadvantaged teenagers to even consider coming to university.

We need to support schools and families with the lowest progression rates to engage in higher education, not put them off with a plan that has 10,000 debt written on the front cover.

We scrapped fees in Scotland a decade ago because they don't work. Why go back to a failed system when we are lucky enough to have a government that is committed to funding a free education and recognises the value that having world-leading universities brings?

It's nave to believe that there aren't going to be tough decisions to make over the coming months – we have a review into fees in England that looks likely to result in greater graduate contributions and face cuts in public spending.

However, while there is a commitment from the Scottish Government to give our universities funding that is broadly comparable to their English counterparts, introducing fees into the system is nonsensical. It's the wrong way to find the extra cash and it's the wrong time to do it.

What we should be talking about is how students can receive the financial support they need to get them through their degree and the Scottish Government has the opportunity to do just that.

Fiona Hyslop is looking at proposals to spend 30m that has been allocated to improve support. If she makes the right choice she can dump the commercial debt that is the real barrier to students.

Thomas Graham is the President of Edinburgh University Students' Association