Abolish university tuition fees

Proposer
Floppy
State

Accepted

Vote Score

2

Age

3646 days


@Floppy edited manifesto/education.md - almost 10 years ago

published: true

  • table of contents
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What policies should we propose to give our children a good education?

Subsequently we recognise that education is about more than simply equipping the future workforce with relevant vocational and professional skills, but about creating a future society that is healthy, wise, and wealthy in all respects.

Funding

Education should be freely available to all, to any desired level. Tuition fees for university students should be abolished, as university education is of general benefit to society, and should be covered by general taxation.

Secular Schools

50% of the British public identify as having no religion, and this number is growing[^1] but over half of all state funded schools have a religious character[^2], including over 4,500 Church of England schools. It has been demonstrated that faith schools are religiously selective, excluding those of other or no faith[^3].

Floppy

@Floppy - almost 10 years ago

This is my counter-proposal to #48. It simply proposes removing tuition fees. We can work out more details further down the line, but I'd be interested to know if this general principle has broad support.

It's not explicitly mentioned, but I don't currently envisage bringing back grants - taking loans for living costs while studying seems like a reasonable halfway house between completely free and completely paid for.

PaulJRobinson

@PaulJRobinson - almost 10 years ago

'To any desired level'? Does that include PHD? What about other types of training? I could list numerous types of vocational training courses I'd love to have a go at. Should they all be free? Should (could?) we discriminate by age and say you have to be below 25 or 30? Or can you spend your whole life in training?

Floppy

@Floppy - almost 10 years ago

Generally, PhDs are publicly funded, but yes, I take your point. If we say "to degree level" then does that still cover adult education? Hm.

PaulJRobinson

@PaulJRobinson - almost 10 years ago

Gets tricky if you start to discriminate by age. Also tricky if you discriminate academic vs vocational. You also start to get into the whole '16 year olds paying taxes to fund their peers going to university when they can't even vote for an MP to change the laws governing uni funding' stuff. Although I recognise that we're also proposing changing the age of voting in a different PR :-)

philipjohn

@philipjohn - almost 10 years ago

Hell yeah 👍

"To degree level" sounds like a good way to avoid runaway costs/abuse.

@Floppy edited manifesto/education.md - almost 10 years ago

published: true

  • table of contents
  • table of contents

{:toc}

What policies should we propose to give our children a good education?

Subsequently we recognise that education is about more than simply equipping the future workforce with relevant vocational and professional skills, but about creating a future society that is healthy, wise, and wealthy in all respects.

Funding

Education should be freely available to all to degree level or equivalent. Tuition fees for university students should be abolished, as university education is of general benefit to society, and should be covered by general taxation.

Secular Schools

50% of the British public identify as having no religion, and this number is growing[^1] but over half of all state funded schools have a religious character[^2], including over 4,500 Church of England schools. It has been demonstrated that faith schools are religiously selective, excluding those of other or no faith[^3].

Floppy

@Floppy - almost 10 years ago

Updated the wording to be degree level or equivalent.

Floppy

@Floppy - almost 10 years ago

@PaulJRobinson any thoughts on this updated version?

PaulJRobinson

@PaulJRobinson - almost 10 years ago

I'm mulling. So a school leaver can start working in a trade at 16, and still get a free tuition fees at a later time in life as a mature student? I like the idea of no age limit. But I think there should be a limit on the number of times this can be used, ie just once. You shouldn't be able to complete degree after degree at taxpayers expense. I'm just wondering though whether a similar sum of training should be made available to adult learners who don't/can't study at degree level? Sorry to be dragging this one out!

philipjohn

@philipjohn - almost 10 years ago

My interpretation of that last change was that once you reach degree level (i.e. once you attain your first degree) you can't use the system again.

Floppy

@Floppy - almost 10 years ago

Good idea, I will make the wording more explicit about "first degrees".

There should definitely be an equivalent for non-degree educational avenues, though I'm not really aware of how they work, hence the equivalent wording at the moment. Would happily accept improved wording on that side of things.

PaulJRobinson

@PaulJRobinson - almost 10 years ago

@floppy yes please. And as long as we can make similar provisions for non-degree equivalent vocational training within a future PR (ie don't worry about it just yet so we can get this PR merged) then I'm in.

@Floppy edited manifesto/education.md - almost 10 years ago

published: true

  • table of contents
  • table of contents

{:toc}

What policies should we propose to give our children a good education?

Subsequently we recognise that education is about more than simply equipping the future workforce with relevant vocational and professional skills, but about creating a future society that is healthy, wise, and wealthy in all respects.

Funding

Education should be freely available to all to degree level or equivalent. Tuition fees for university students should be abolished, as university education is of general benefit to society, and should be covered by general taxation.

Secular Schools

50% of the British public identify as having no religion, and this number is growing[^1] but over half of all state funded schools have a religious character[^2], including over 4,500 Church of England schools. It has been demonstrated that faith schools are religiously selective, excluding those of other or no faith[^3].

@Floppy edited manifesto/education.md - almost 10 years ago

published: true

  • table of contents
  • table of contents

{:toc}

What policies should we propose to give our children a good education?

Subsequently we recognise that education is about more than simply equipping the future workforce with relevant vocational and professional skills, but about creating a future society that is healthy, wise, and wealthy in all respects.

Funding

Education should be freely available to all to first degree level or equivalent. Tuition fees for university students should be abolished, as university education is of general benefit to society, and should be covered by general taxation.

Secular Schools

50% of the British public identify as having no religion, and this number is growing[^1] but over half of all state funded schools have a religious character[^2], including over 4,500 Church of England schools. It has been demonstrated that faith schools are religiously selective, excluding those of other or no faith[^3].

Floppy

@Floppy - almost 10 years ago

Changed to mention "first degree" level.