5th January 2011 9:00
By Blue Tutors
Simon Hughes has recently been appointed as an advocate for higher education, and in a report on the BBC he has explained that he has a lot of work to do. Hughes was one of 8 Liberal Democrat MPs who abstained from voting when the policy to increase tuition fees went through parliament, which has made this appointment somewhat controversial, despite Nick Clegg, the deputy Prime Minister, claiming that Hughes is ideally suited for the role.
Hughes will be responsible for ensuring that students, particularly those from deprived backgrounds, are not put off applying to university because of the recent increasing of the cap on University Tuition fees. The cap has risen from £3,290 to £9,000, and amidst the protests against the rise, Nick Clegg said that he was concerned about misinformation, and that youngsters should not be put off applying to university because of the changes.
Hughes said that he sees himself as independent of government, because he is not a minister, and therefore doesn’t consider himself to be responsible for a policy which, prior to the general election, he promised that he would vote against. However, many people will see his appointment as an attempt to make the tuition fees policy more acceptable, and in bad taste given Hughes’ absence from the vote.
The position will last for 6 months, and is unpaid.