With universities able to charge students whatever fee they see fit there is a genuine risk that we could be left with a two-tier higher education system. The Russell Group universities already have a disproportionate amount of privately educated students in comparison to the ex-polys. If the best universites charge increase fees it may dissuade brighter pupils from working class, and even middle class backgrounds, to apply to these universities, or to apply to any university at all.
Lorde Browne's report suggests that those in families earning up to £60,000 will get financial help on a sliding scale basis. But this does not go far enough, what of students at the bottom end of the scale, or those families already supporting another sibling at university? Only the children of the rich will have guaranteed support from their parents.
Students will not pick a university based on academic ability, rather, on their ability to pay for fees.
Furthermore, Lord Browne suggests that subsidies will be removed for all courses that are not seen as strategically important. Arts faculties around the country will struggle. Many will argue this is sensible, we need more doctors and engineers. Yet the benefits of a classical education, reading history or english, are abundant and should not be belittled. Besides, a tradition of free choice exists at our universities. Those wishing to better themselves by going to university should not be forced in to a practical education when they yearn for the philisophical.
The party that heralded itself as the party for students has made a complete u-turn on its pre-election position; a position that the Liberal Democrats have held for years. It is a complete betrayal to those who have voted for them in the past. The Liberal Democrats have an incredible amount of work to do in order to re-establish trust in its younger voters, myself included.
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