Student protest?

[x-MummyToBe-x]

Is there a thread anywhere on BNB about it? none in news and debate

I'm just a bit confused i don't get what's happening? what's it all about anyone fancy explaining to me please?

 

[MummyJo]

In short the government are proposing putting the student fees for university up from £3000 to £9000 and of course the students/future students/parents of students are unhappy about it.

There government have all sorts of reasons as to why they're doing it and people are furious that the Lib Dems promised to vote against the fee hike but now look set to agree to it.

 

[MrsGlitz]

I don't understand why people are cross with the Lib Dems. It's a coalition government and they had to make some concessions in order to be able to get into government and not end up with a hung parliament.

The proposals aren't, in my opinon, all that bad to be honest! The government is up the creek without a paddle as far as finances are concerned, drastic measures need to be taken. Labour caused this by encouraging every man and his dog to go to Uni which is why we've ended up with courses in things that mean nothing and are of no real value.

I certainly wouldn't encourage my child(ren) to go to Uni unless they had to for their chosen career path.

 

[happygal]

i dont think its that bad really. i dont see why the student should expect the education for nothing. students are complaining at the possible rise in fees but they wont be complaining when they are getting a big wage every month once they are employed x

 

[louandivy]

I don't understand why people are cross with the Lib Dems. It's a coalition government and they had to make some concessions in order to be able to get into government and not end up with a hung parliament.

The proposals aren't, in my opinon, all that bad to be honest! The government is up the creek without a paddle as far as finances are concerned, drastic measures need to be taken. Labour caused this by encouraging every man and his dog to go to Uni which is why we've ended up with courses in things that mean nothing and are of no real value.

I certainly wouldn't encourage my child(ren) to go to Uni unless they had to for their chosen career path.

Because one of the main points Lib Dems used to gain voters before the election was that they would abolish tuition fees and £9000 a year is an insame amount of money! I am so angry that I voted Lib Dem and I got the bloody Tories...never again.

 

[louandivy]

also where is the news and debate section? Didn't know there was one and I can't find it!

 

[mrsessex]

I don't understand why people are cross with the Lib Dems. It's a coalition government and they had to make some concessions in order to be able to get into government and not end up with a hung parliament.

The proposals aren't, in my opinon, all that bad to be honest! The government is up the creek without a paddle as far as finances are concerned, drastic measures need to be taken. Labour caused this by encouraging every man and his dog to go to Uni which is why we've ended up with courses in things that mean nothing and are of no real value.

I certainly wouldn't encourage my child(ren) to go to Uni unless they had to for their chosen career path.

100% agree

especially this bit

Labour caused this by encouraging every man and his dog to go to Uni which is why we've ended up with courses in things that mean nothing and are of no real value.

 

[Laura2919]

I don't understand why people are cross with the Lib Dems. It's a coalition government and they had to make some concessions in order to be able to get into government and not end up with a hung parliament.

The proposals aren't, in my opinon, all that bad to be honest! The government is up the creek without a paddle as far as finances are concerned, drastic measures need to be taken. Labour caused this by encouraging every man and his dog to go to Uni which is why we've ended up with courses in things that mean nothing and are of no real value.

I certainly wouldn't encourage my child(ren) to go to Uni unless they had to for their chosen career path.

I totally agree! 100%. People say we shouldnt blame Labour but why not? Afterall they gave gave gave without taking back. Now we are paying the price.
So far I have been untouched by the governments cuts but we are all going to feel it in January when VAT goes up to 20% it doesnt seem a lot but when you go and do your food shopping and its another £15 more each time you go it will. We couldnt keep letting this go on and on.

 

[jenny82]

I would really like to know what people actually are against the rise in fees, whether they have a university education and what they paid for their university education....

Anyone that got their education for free (i.e. before 1998 or whatever it was) and is for this rise in fees, should hang their head in shame.

I'm lucky,I graduate next year (I will be 28 so a mature student but at the end of my economics degree now I will owe £18k which is small fry now), but my aunt has 4 teenagers, 3 of which are the smartest, most driven kids you will ever meet. My aunt will NEVER be able to afford to send them to uni, so what then? they can get a loan, but who wants to enter life at 21 with £40k+ of debt? I'm so sad for them, and for my own children when they are old enough...

What of the future generation, who will never have the opportunity to study history, geography, english literature, engineering. You may not think it now, but there is so much loss. It makes me really sad. I have learnt so much these past few years and I'm so passionate about it. What of all the other teenagers who are like me but can't pursue it further?

 

[louandivy]

I would really like to know what people actually are against the rise in fees, whether they have a university education and what they paid for their university education....

Anyone that got their education for free (i.e. before 1998 or whatever it was) and is for this rise in fees, should hang their head in shame.

I'm lucky,I graduate next year (I will be 28 so a mature student but at the end of my economics degree now I will owe £18k which is small fry now), but my aunt has 4 teenagers, 3 of which are the smartest, most driven kids you will ever meet. My aunt will NEVER be able to afford to send them to uni, so what then? they can get a loan, but who wants to enter life at 21 with £40k+ of debt? I'm so sad for them, and for my own children when they are old enough...

What of the future generation, who will never have the opportunity to study history, geography, english literature, engineering. You may not think it now, but there is so much loss. It makes me really sad. I have learnt so much these past few years and I'm so passionate about it. What of all the other teenagers who are like me but can't pursue it further?

I agree. Education should not be a privilege reserved only for the wealthy!

 

[hopeandpray]

I think that education should be valued in its own right as well as being a step towards a career. Maybe courses that don't benefit the economy shouldn't be paid for by the state but it's hard to judge what does and what doesn't
In Ireland they just announced yesterday that the fees would rise to €2,000 and we thought that was bad! My course would cost about €15,000 a year if I was paying out of my own pocket and it's a 6 year course.

 

[nicole_]

these students make me so angry,
theyre making fools out of themselves too
the rise is a brilliant idea imo,
it will sepearate the people who to go to uni to get wasted everyday and to avoid work for 3 more years to the students who really want to get somewhere in life
oh and i love how it was the students who voted lib dem and how its just come back and hit them smack bang in the face

 

[hopeandpray]

What are student loans like in the UK? Would everyone that wanted to go to uni be able to get one and pay it back?

 

[rubixcyoob.]

I made a thread here - https://www.babyandbump.com/news-debates/482793-tuition-fee-increases-discuss.html

And to the above poster. I don't know anyone who goes to university soley to get wasted everyday. Yes they live the student life, but they do have aspirations, goals etc. If they just wanted to get wasted everyday they would stay at home on benefits wasting them away on acohol and drugs.

That's quite a nasty stereotype of students.

And for anyones information there was a march in Glasgow today. It started peacefully and then for some unknown reason police on horseback were called in, boxing the protesters in. That's when things kicked off and the officer was injured. Although, the police are never pained in the wrong light - they are the law after all. Students are always the villains in cases like this. However, that does not condone violence of any kind, just saying, it isn't the students fault solely for the violence, it's a two way street that is never highlighted that way.

 

[nicole_]

yup the fees at the minute are 3k a year, which is being raised to 9k
you still get a loan for it, it just means your paying it off a lot longer etc
it wont stop anyone going to uni if they really want it
to me it just sorts the wasters from those who really are serious about further education

 

[nicole_]

I made a thread here - https://www.babyandbump.com/news-debates/482793-tuition-fee-increases-discuss.html

And to the above poster. I don't know anyone who goes to university soley to get wasted everyday. Yes they live the student life, but they do have aspirations, goals etc. If they just wanted to get wasted everyday they would stay at home on benefits wasting them away on acohol and drugs.

That's quite a nasty stereotype of students.

well being 18, and over 80% of the people i went to school with being at uni now, i can safely say that is what a lot of people do.
i know people who have blown uni loans on cars and expensive things
speaking from experience here.
i just think they should take it on the chin and if they want it bad, then theyll pay for it
my parents didnt have a penny to rub together, never went on holidays, dont even have an oven, but they put me through private school as they wanted the best for me
if you want something bad enough, theres always a way imo

 

[rubixcyoob.]

I speak from experience too.
I am not old enough to take out any loan, yet I am at university. Should my parents have to pay £9,000 a year for me and then my sister - they couldn't and they had money for holidays etc. I am 'middle class', but even then the 'traditional family' (two children, mother and father) does not have £72,000 disposable income to put their children through university, should they choose that path. No, loans with interest rates need to be taken out, debt accumulated and all before graduation or even definite knowledge of whether you will graduate or not.
It costs, on average, half a million pounds to raise a child providing only basic necessities. So that, plus little extras like toys and gifts at birthday and christmas' and holidays etc. all add up to unsightly amounts then this is lumped on top. Soon people will not celebrate christmas or birthdays at all in order to save money for education.

There is a difference between wanting something badly and paying £36,000 plus fixed interest in the hopes that you may pass with a good enough degree to obtain a job in your qualification field and battle it out with millions of others.
My dream is becoming a lawyer. However, is my dream worth over £36,000 of debt before I'm 21 with only the hopes of getting into a good firm, or a firm at all since the market isn't that big? No.

 

[Zipp]

Yes it's a huge hike but I do also think it will help weed out the wasters.
I have a friend whose first daughter attempted two courses over two years at two different universities. She partied for both years while her parents paid a fortune for rent, food and course fees, The wee madam never worked at her course or a part time job, partied hard and got kicked out of both. Another friend's daughter has just failed her first year after partying hard and has got kicked out. My SIL and her brothers did the same thing too.

So while not all students are wasters I think it is only fair that they shoulder more of the cost.

Oh and another person I know their parents took out a loan to allow them to follow the course they wanted to do. They have now qualified and are paying back the loan to their parents.

 

[hopeandpray]

I guess the idea is if it's not worth it to you then why should it be worth it to the government I do know loads and loads of people who do f all in uni and go out most nights a week, have no interest in the course they're doing. There's someone in my course, which is one of the most expensive to run, that doesn't actually really want a job based on it and it makes my blood boil.Would she have have done it if she was paying a lot of money? No way
It's hard to know what to do though. I have a friend that didn't even apply to college because she literally has no money. She would have worked her ass off and been brilliant but she just didn't get that chance.
As you can probably tell I'm completely torn on the subject. If I had to get loans and be paying them off for a decade i would. Hell if I was in the US I would more than likely reach about $100,000 of debt just to qualify

 

[rubixcyoob.]

But in the UK that would be near £50,000 which is what some people will be on with their tution fees, then their living accommodation loans, travel loans etc. all plus interest.

Education is not, nor has it ever been free in the UK. We pay taxes, our taxes go towards the funding of a public schools and education for people. We don't get it for free, now we are paying taxes which won't go towards universities and education but will, instead go towards paying of debt which more students will get us into in the event that they never pay off their loans - which could be likely with some.

Education is a fundemental part of a developing country, why take that chance away from millions because they don't not have the funds to pay for it or the means to acquire a loan?

Higher education should not be made into a private sector organisation. It's totally discriminatory against those who choose to go onto advanced education. Why is it people can choose to go to college and do not pay a penny yet those going to university end up in thousands of pounds of debt. Yes, I know advanced education from university is supposed to lead to higher paid jobs, but so what if someones dream is to go to college and be a photographer/beautician/hairdresser and someone elses is to become a doctor/lawyer, should the latter be punished financially because of their aspiration? And there is no guarantee that at the end of the day, the person attaining a free college course in whatever I mentioned won't become exceptionally successful and get paid hundereds of thousands whereas the person doing the later of the course in law or medicine from university won't go on and earn pennies doing pro bono work or working in developing countries.
There is no guarantee. One cannot say you pay high fees because you will make more, you don't because you won't. It's all about personal choice and the paths we take in life.