Universities UK disagree with proposals to lower tuition fees

Vice-chancellors from across the country representing Universities UK (UUK) have rebuked the Labour party’s proposal to reduce tuition fees to £6,000 per year if it wins this May’s general election.

Debate surrounding tuition fees has been a hot topic among students, particularly at the University of Warwick, since the 2010 general election. Many students have been left embittered and angry by the decision of the Liberal Democrats to re-engage with their commitment of avoiding an increase in tuition fees upon entering a coalition with the Conservatives.

UUK say that plans to cut tuition fees are “implausible”, arguing that reducing the fee cap would lead to “cuts to universities that would damage the economy, affect the quality of students’ education and set back work on widening access to higher education.”

In response to UUK’s rebuttal of tuition fee reduction, Professor Dennis Leech, head of the the University of Warwick’s University and College Union branch (UCU) said: “UUK and the vice chancellors are protesting too much, they made a lot of money; the £9,000 fee was introduced at a level that was above the average cost of tuition.”

Mr Leech continued by saying that, “cutting the fee to £6,000 is not unreasonable provided universities are properly funded. Labour’s plans do not go far enough in my opinion. University education should be based on ability and funded out of a progressive taxation system.”

Furthermore, Mr Leech feels the current student loans system is broken: “The present system is not working. It was meant to save the taxpayer money but it’s just doing the reverse. It increases the deficit in the short and medium term because the fees are paid by the government on behalf of students”, adding that students are “saddled with a huge loan” that the Office of Budget Responsibility has shown is likely to never be repaid.

This echoes the views of Warwick for Free Education, who, in 2014, staged protests on campus in opposition to tuition fees. These protests voiced their dissatisfaction with what they call the “marketisation of education” that categorises students as “stakeholders” and their education as an “investment”, as opposed to an “inspiring and transformative experience.”

Rob Stileman, a first-year History student, agrees with the assessment of UUK. However, Rob stated: “I believe that having £9,000 tuition fees is actually quite a fair system. We all have loans to cover the costs while we’re at University, so there is no cost to any student whilst we’re actually studying.”

Mr Stileman added: “If I benefit from my time at University and get a well paid job then I should be expected to pay for the education I have benefited from.”​