Battleangel

It seems now that the introduction of university fees is all but inevitable. A poll that was released recently claims that 12 out of 15 universities in Sweden seem to think so anyway.

The recent shift in policy comes after the UK votes to pass the Higher Education Bill program. The laws will most likely go live in the end of July although it’s too early to tell what the final product will look like. And we’re not talking negligible fees either, as of 2006 students will have to pay up to £3,000 a year. And of course the usual losers are middle class students who do are not applicable for grants and thus have to shell out for thousands of pounds that they do not possess. All in all, the typical debt of a three year student with no grants will rise from around £12,000 presently to about £21,000.

My opinion on this is simple. The current quality of higher education, at least in Sweden, isn’t worth £3,000 a year. The only fee we pay at the moment is the student union fee which is about 2×250 SEK (£36) a year. And even that is a massive source of ailment. I don’t think this will be very popular.
But I do understand the motive for enforcing this law in the UK and possibly even over here. People are just not accepting their place in society. The loaf about for years and years taking everything from Fish Physiology to Natural Geography (does it remind you of anyone you know? ;-)).

BBC | UK | Education | What about middle income students?
BBC | UK | Education | Students outraged at Commons decision