Students say fees a breach of human rights

ENGLISH students have contacted the country’s equality tsar to complain about laws which could see them pay up to £9,000 a year to attend a Scottish university while Scottish students pay nothing.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission said its helpline had been contacted by students south of the border who wanted to know their rights under legislation which bars people in the UK being discriminated against on grounds of nationality.

Last week, Scottish ministers announced they would allow all of Scotland’s universities to charge students from the rest of the UK up to £9,000 a year to study here.

Education Secretary Mike Russell said the decision had been forced on him by David Cameron’s policy on university tuition fees. Universities here feared that Scotland could become seen as a “cheap option” if fees for students from the rest of the UK were not increased to similar levels.

But the policy means there will be a huge difference between them and Scottish based students who will pay no fees. SNP ministers have pledged to meet the £1.2 billion cost of running the university sector from the general taxpayer.

A spokesman for the EHRC confirmed that their offices had been contacted by students in England about the fees issue but that no action had yet been taken.

The EHRC has not ruled out taking up a challenge, but lawyers believe it would fail because students on either side of the border are not judged on nationality but on locality. For example, a Scottish student living in England would still have to pay fees if they wanted to study north of the border.

Last night, there were calls from some Scottish principals and student bodies for bursaries to be set up for poorer students from the rest of the UK to allow them to continue to study in Scotland, if fees do rise to the maximum level.

Petra Wend, Principal of Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh – where 20% of students are from the rest of the UK – said: “Universities will need to look closely at what bursary support should be offered.”

Robin Parker, President of NUS Scotland, said: “NUS Scotland will be working hard to reduce the maximum fees universities are permitted to charge and pushing for substantial support via bursaries and fee-waivers.”‬

However, while Edinburgh and St Andrews are expected to charge the full sum, to match universities down south, others have indicated they will not.

Professor Ferdinand von Prondzynski, Principal of Robert Gordon University, said last week: “At Robert Gordon University I anticipate fees being set substantially below this maximum level. At this stage no decision has been made but we will ensure that in setting this fee we apply principles of equity and financial sustainability.”

Russell said Scotland would continue to welcome students from all over the world, but action was needed as decisions in England “could threaten the quality and competitiveness of our universities.”