Free university fees

[springbabydays]

Green party policy.

I really don't see how this is a good idea. How is it fair on low to middle earning tax payers to fund an extended education for others to potentially out earn them?

As it stands you have to earn a fair bit to repay a student loan anyway, so many never get paid back at all.

A free education till the age of 19 is a good deal in my book. Why stretch the coffers further when there are so many other pressing issues?

How is the country going to grow the economy without more educational opportunities for young people though? Cost is a barrier for many young people who want to go into HE. Free university fees are the ideal way to improve the economy.

The Scottish system has worked well for years.

Having an educated population benefits everybody. University places should be open to all who are academic enough, not all who can afford to pay.

If they get into bed with another party, they should take a look at how Uni free's worked out for Nick Clegg

Don't you think it's worth investing in future generations then?

I actually think in theory it's a GREAT idea. Education is absolutely crucial to the future success of this country.

We don't want to and can't compete in the low cost industries alongside China who have lower labour costs than we do and less employee protections.

So we need to compete smarter. And as such we need a top class education system. The more people we get through it, the more attractive UK will be to high tech companies to invest in.

Remember it's not that long ago that University education was free. I was one of the last to get a full grant from the government and student loans had just been introduced.

How is it fair on low to middle earning tax payers to fund an extended education for others to potentially out earn them?

This is a very naive view. The more graduates earn, the more they will be paying in taxes and that benefits everyone including the low/middle earners who won't need to dig so deep.

Based on the same logic, why is it fair for allow to middle earning tax payer to fund the NHS for a rich person to see his GP. Some things in this country we do for the greater good. A free education in my opinion is one of them.

Now I said at the start that this is all in theory. In practice the number of graduates has grown massively since my time at Uni, hence why none of the major parties have even thought about making it free again. There simply isn't enough money to fund everyone for free unless we take money from elsewhere. Eg. NHS, Police, Schools, Welfare.

The green's can come up with all sorts of barmy unrealistic policies since in practice they have sod all chance of coming to power.

I actually think in theory it's a GREAT idea. Education is absolutely crucial to the future success of this country.

We don't want to and can't compete in the low cost industries alongside China who have lower labour costs than we do and less employee protections.

So we need to compete smarter. And as such we need a top class education system. The more people we get through it, the more attractive UK will be to high tech companies to invest in.

Remember it's not that long ago that University education was free. I was one of the last to get a full grant from the government and student loans had just been introduced.

How is it fair on low to middle earning tax payers to fund an extended education for others to potentially out earn them?

This is a very naive view. The more graduates earn, the more they will be paying in taxes and that benefits everyone including the low/middle earners who won't need to dig so deep.

Based on the same logic, why is it fair for allow to middle earning tax payer to fund the NHS for a rich person to see his GP. Some things in this country we do for the greater good. A free education in my opinion is one of them.

Now I said at the start that this is all in theory. In practice the number of graduates has grown massively since my time at Uni, hence why none of the major parties have even thought about making it free again. There simply isn't enough money to fund everyone for free unless we take money from elsewhere. Eg. NHS, Police, Schools, Welfare.

The green's can come up with all sorts of barmy unrealistic policies since in practice they have sod all chance of coming to power.

I actually think in theory it's a GREAT idea. Education is absolutely crucial to the future success of this country.

We don't want to and can't compete in the low cost industries alongside China who have lower labour costs than we do and less employee protections.

So we need to compete smarter. And as such we need a top class education system. The more people we get through it, the more attractive UK will be to high tech companies to invest in.

Remember it's not that long ago that University education was free. I was one of the last to get a full grant from the government and student loans had just been introduced.

How is it fair on low to middle earning tax payers to fund an extended education for others to potentially out earn them?

This is a very naive view. The more graduates earn, the more they will be paying in taxes and that benefits everyone including the low/middle earners who won't need to dig so deep.

Based on the same logic, why is it fair for allow to middle earning tax payer to fund the NHS for a rich person to see his GP. Some things in this country we do for the greater good. A free education in my opinion is one of them.

Now I said at the start that this is all in theory. In practice the number of graduates has grown massively since my time at Uni, hence why none of the major parties have even thought about making it free again. There simply isn't enough money to fund everyone for free unless we take money from elsewhere. Eg. NHS, Police, Schools, Welfare.

The green's can come up with all sorts of barmy unrealistic policies since in practice they have sod all chance of coming to power.

I don't have a degree but I don't consider myself uneducated and I have managed to have a career too.

Is it problematic getting a loan for uni fees? I thought anyone can get them. Because if you take out a loan and never have to pay it back then you have got it for free anyway.

How is the govt paying for all those unpaid loans Niceguy? Practically speaking, it's already happening to a certain extent isn't it?

No such thing as free university education though. Someone somewhere pays. I'm in Scotland where it is 'free' but college places have been slashed so young people who aren't suited for Uni are very disadvantaged.

I think it would be nice in an ideal world, but I cant see how we can afford it as a country.
I would like to see a party who would focus on giving all students a loan that would actually cover their accommodation & basic living expenses, regardless of their parents income. I think there is a danger that only the very rich or very poor (who get bigger loans & access to scholarships etc) will be able to afford uni.

DH works in HE in Scotland - there are redundancies mooted in his institution, voluntary at the moment, but if not enough staff volunteer, will quickly become compulsory. All Scottish universities are vigorously pursuing overseas students who will pay full fees.

As Behooven said, there has been a real decline in vocational opportunities for young people in Scotland.

The 50% target for young people attending university is what caused the problem. Courses are far less rigorous and jobs which previously would have been open to all now, ridiculously, require a degree.