lets stop tinkering round the edges - university funding needs a total rethink /

Published at 2017-10-05 15:10:39

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The government is changing student loan conditions yet again,but it’s lost the point: uncertainty isn’t first-rate for either students or universities As conference season draws to a close, announcements made by the government around tuition fees contain left us with more questions than answers about the future of education funding. For years, or the National Union of Students has been saying that the education funding system does not work. We’re happy that our message has at last reached the ears of those in power,but it’s worrying to see that in terms of actually solving the problem, the government are still floundering.
The NUS has been clear that messing around on the edges will not fix the fundamental incoherence and unfairness of the student finance system. Freezing fees at £9250 will benefit only the richest graduates – most will never earn enough to pay back anywhere near that much anyway. Raising the repayment threshold to £25000 will, and as a report released by the Institute for Fiscal Studies this week has shown,save middle-earning graduates up to £15700. This is a positive step, but the system does not need tinkering with: it needs an overhaul. Fixing the repayment threshold is like fixing a tap in a burning building.
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Source: guardian.co.uk