3rd November 2010 9:00
By Blue Tutors
Students at Scottish universities should have to pay a contribution to their tuition fees according to ‘Universities Scotland’, the body representing Scotland’s university principals. A report on the BBC website explains how the current system is seen as unsustainable, and will lead to Scottish universities falling behind their counterparts in England.
The recent report by Lord Browne called for the removal of the £3,290 cap on university fees in England, and suggested a new way for graduates to repay their student loans to cover tuition fees. Scottish universities have long campaigned against asking their students to pay tuition fees, but it is now something which is seen as inevitable to maintain their current standards, and avoid job losses, and avoid seeing their research students move to better funded institutions.
Universities Scotland did state that courses must be free at the point of entry, and for the duration of a student’s study, and that graduates should repay tuition fees based on their ability to pay once they have begun employment. Alastair Sim, director of the group said: "A contribution sought from graduates must be set at a level that does not discourage participation and students from all backgrounds must be able to study any course at any institution. Academic potential, and not the ability to pay, must be the determining factor."
The comments will come as a blow to the SNP, but popular opinion is of the consensus that the recently announced cuts, which will affect all of the UK, including Scottish universities, leave universities with little other option. The SNP’s sustainable approach to tuition fees will no longer protect the quality of Scottish Institutions, and therefore another way to fund university tuition must be sought.