The Evening Standard was forced to change its headline this evening after complaints from David Willetts. But student activists stood by to outline the implications of an increase in tuition fees, apparently favoured by the Conservative Party.
The Evening Standard was forced to change its headline this evening after complaints from David Willetts. But student activists stood by to outline the implications of an increase in tuition fees, apparently favoured by the Conservative Party.
The Evening Standard’s headline this afternoon announced, “Students to face £7,000 a year fees.” The article continued, “David Willetts said he would consider demands to raise the annual fee to £7,000.”
But following complaints from Mr Willetts’ office, the online version now reads, “Students to face higher tuition fees after election” and goes on to report, “Students face paying higher tuition fees after the next election as the Tories hint they are prepared to consider raising the current £3,225 a-year charge.” Unusually, the story no longer appears on the front page of the website. The about turn occurred after complaints from Mr Willett’s office. A spokesman for Mr Willetts said, “The quotes and headline didn’t reflect the story.”
Reacting to the threat of a rise in tuition costs, National Union of Students President Wes Streeting said:
“It is of serious concern that the Conservatives seem so relaxed about entertaining the notion of more than doubling fees when they have not committed to a clear policy for students and their families ahead of the general election.
“The issue is not merely whether students would get value for money if fees were to rise. We need to consider the effect the additional financial burden would have on students and their families. Students are already graduating with £20,000 of debt, and we owe it to them and their families to consider alternatives to the disastrous current system.
A report by the NUS shows that the combined cost of tuition fees, living expenses, and interest would leave students facing debts of £37,451 after a three year course if the cap was raised from £3,225 to £7,000 per year.
The Guardian reported on Friday that, “the Tories were prepared to look at increasing fees, but with strings attached.”
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11 Responses to “Evening Standard retreats over tuition fees”
Wes Streeting
Hi Tom,
NUS actually agrees with you on the complexity of the debate – and the need for a rigorous debate about progressive approaches to funding our universities that include a graduate contribution.
This news article covers the launch of our own fully costed, economically tested model. http://www.nus.org.uk/Campaigns/Funding-Our-Future-/Funding-Blueprint-launch-/