Tuition fees ramble.

All the news can talk about at the moment is tuition fees (and the Commonwealth games, but I have no interest in that). This is due, as many of you may know, to the release of Lord Browne's report tomorrow and the whole 'Vince Cable doesn't want a graduate tax' thing that's been going on. I originally wrote "I'm not going to rant on", but that didn't happen. Never mind.

A lot of this rambling is heavily influenced by the fact I volunteer for Aim Higher in partnership with Warwick Volunteers, and therefore work with under-privileged children every week. I probably appear a little mental, sorry for that, but when you hear the kids reasons for not wanting to go to uni/further education, the importance of money isn't as high as the media like to portray. Oh and, I hate using the word 'poor', but seen as that's what the media have gone with, I'm using it, for consistency and such (not that the media is very consistent on a lot of things *rolls eyes*)

Couple of points I just want to clear up first.

• Firstly, I totally understand why people are bothered about higher tuition fees putting off poorer students, obviously it's really important, for the sake of social mobility and such, that poorer students have the opportunity to get a university education.
• Secondly, it makes sense that we pay tuition fees, higher education is expensive and if the government want so many people to enter higher education, it doesn't come cheap. However, tuition fees are largely subsidised by the government anyway. The £3290 that students pay isn't the entire fee. It's quite shocking how many students think that is the entire cost of them going to uni.
• Thirdly, if we're going to make students in England pay full fees (/any fees at all), we should probably extend this to everyone in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, right? Equality and all that...

Right, so...

Obviously higher tuition fees will put off some poorer people from going to university. But people seem to forget that those who are from poorer backgrounds get a lot of bursaries, and the maintenance grant. The people at uni who have less money are not the 'working class', it's those from middle income families. Students that are from families who earn middle incomes do not qualify for bursaries because their parents earn too much, yet their parents do not have the spare money to help their children through university. I know this isn't the main issue, but I do think it's important and often overlooked.

Right, obviously the tuition fees is main thing people are talking about, but
a) You don't pay that 'til after university.
b) You don't pay it until you're earning £15,000 or more
c) The rate at which you pay back your student loan is 9% of your total earnings. That's it. 9%.

Most people who are at uni now, who will finish in the next couple years, will owe around £20,000. I think that's how much I'll owe anyway, I think most people are around that or a few thousand more. So obviously tuition fees shouldn't go up, because being 21 with £20,000 of debt (and rising) is hardly the most amazing way to start your working life...The media are focusing largely on the fact it will put poorer students off, and yeah, fair enough, it will, but in all honesty, it's going to put everyone off who doesn't have parents that can fund you through uni. It's going to put poor people off AND a lot of middle income earners off. But those with middle incomes are more likely to suffer during there time at university.

Oh and other things I think I'll mention

• Higher education isn't the be-all-and-end-all. Why is no attention focused on apprenticeships etc.?
• I think having a society that focuses mainly on academic achievement isn't healthy.
• What should be tackled is the reasons why a lot children don't want to do any form of education after secondary school. I know there are connexions advisers and people like me who volunteer and teach people about other options after school (besides going straight into employment), but they aren't present in every school. AND if the Tories get their way, then ConneXions advisers will be cut from some areas where they are needed.

Obviously in a perfect world we wouldn't even pay tuition fees and everyone would have equal opportunities to everything, but this isn't going to happen anytime soon/ever. Blah. (Sorry for the pessimism, but it's true)

Bassiicaalllyyy, it's a mess and I don't want our system to end up like America's. End.