Tuition fees

[AnitaS]

Today the Scottish parliament has been discussing the abolition of tuition fees, I heard on the radio...Let's hope that soon there won't be any tuition fees in Scotland. In Germany (that's where I'm writing this) there are none. Nobody should have to pay for education!
Bye!
Anita

[Cameron_Mackay]

I agree.

[Paul_Edwards]

I couldn't agree more. I was lucky enough to have been very entrepreneurial at Uni, so I was able to get cash very easily. However, the number of people I knew that got into debt, failed classes etc was enormous. That was before tuition fees came in. The last thing I want to see happen is Scotland become like America, where Education becomes such a worry that people spend their whole lives worrying about their childrens' education.

In addition to this I feel that too many bright children are being scared off university because they are frightened of debt. The Governement should at least be doing more to tell prospective students that the student loan company was set up to actually help students. Mind you, if they are going to be spending any resources at all, I guess it should be in reducing the burden on the student. Tuition fees are hurting the education system in Scotland, and I am a big fan of our system! We should be doing whatever we can to getting rid of fees.

[dferg]

Lovely theory. unfortunately, somebody has to pay for it! I just don't think it should neccasarily be the students.

[AnitaS]

There should be a huge uproar among students in Scotland. Last year the German government wanted to introduce fees, and we went on the street. We were 30 000 in Düsseldorf (that's where the government of Nordrhein-Westfalen is).
If the Scottish government can't agree on the abolition of fees, they should at least reintroduce the living grants (I hope that's the correct term) for students.

[Paul_Edwards]

Yeah it's a tricky one. One would naturally turn to the private sector in this situation, but even they don't have the budgets to spend these days. Everything is down to margins and ROI. There is no way that I would like to see bright students excluded from the education system. Not under any circumstances.

That's why the Government should be made to accept that this is one basic right that we have. Popular opinion is a very strong thing. Remember the dark old days of Thatcherism and the poll tax was a great example of this. Students to the streets!

[dferg]

Unfortunately a lot of students today seem to be either politically niave or apathetic. those that aren't tend to be over militant and easily make themselves look like fanatics.