Friday 13 November 2009

Hello people havent posted for a while as ive had no internet, finally got the problem sorted though.
Still writing for the student newspaper theres an online version at www.pluto-online.com check it out.
An issue in the news that is set to annoy myself and other students in preston in fact students everywhere even future ones, is the plan to raise tuition fees.

Tuition fees are set to rise after the next general election under a Labour or Conservative Government.
The Conservative Party believe an increase in tuition fees is necessary. If they are elected in the next general election, which must take place before June, they plan to increase fees up to a staggering £7,000 a year. This is more than double the £3,225 a year cap a university can currently charge.
Labour has also adopted a similar policy. Business Secretary Lord Mandelson hinted that the Government is set to raise the cost of university fees. Speaking at the Confederation of British Industry conference, Lord Mandelson said: “An increase in fees would encourage universities to improve courses and tailor teaching to individual students.” He did not state what the new costs should be, yet his comments indicated that the current cap was set to rise.
However, the Liberal Democrats and in particular Mark Jewell the Lib Dem candidate for Preston, are completely against these suggestions. Part of the Liberal Democrats’ manifesto is to scrap tuition fees.
Speaking after the Conservatives’ suggestions, Mr Jewell said: “I look around Preston and more and more I see young people returning from University with no job and a bank balance tens of thousands of pounds in the red. What sort of future is that?”He added: “Labour and the Tories are showing their true colours. They don't care about young people - they just want to saddle them with staggering amounts of debt.”
Mr Jewell’s points about debt are indeed very true. The National Union of Students (NUS) estimates that the average graduate will have incurred nearly £20,000 of debt by the end of a three year course.
If Labour or the Conservatives are elected to form the next government it could lead to much higher amounts of debt for graduates. However, some proposals would limit who could even attend university.
Many top universities are already pressing ministers to impose the fee rise amid fears British institutions are falling further behind those in the United States. In the US, leading Ivy League universities can charge as much as £20,000-a-year. Other universities have called for the existing cap to be removed altogether. Some fear these proposals would lead to only a select set of people being able to attend university. Mr Jewell said: “everyone who has the ability, should be able to go - and not put off by the cost.”
Wes Streeting, president of the NUS said: “We are not faced with a simple choice between charging students even higher fees or allowing our universities to fall behind those of other countries.”
The NUS has created graduate tax proposals, which they claim would give universities double the amount of funding they currently receive from fees, while allowing the children of poorer families to go to university without the fear of debt.
A review of university funding is due to begin later this year, but will not conclude until after the General Election.

My advice would be to vote Lib Dem they also have very valid policies on other issues www.libdems.org.uk

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