Countrywide rioting, public outcry, parliament in flames!
Okay, that last one was admittedly a bit much, but it’s been noted time and time again, whether it’s through Youtube, Facebook or in the minds of numerous aspiring undergraduate students that the Liberal Democrat party made mistake after mistake with their debauchery of the education system, and now, with the country’s economic progress in general.
In 2010 before the general elections, Nick Clegg promised the removal of all tuition fees within six years and subsequently guaranteed an added benefit to those in their last year of studies. As he puts it very clearly, “Debt is not the answer to more debt.†and this policy, as you’d imagine, made his party, the Liberal Democrats, stand out from the rest of the crowd and for the first time in history, saw the party have a fighting chance at a seat. “I believe tuition fees are WRONG. I believe it is WRONG to saddle young people with £25,000 of debt before they’ve even taken a first step in adult life.â€
We believed him, we voted, we made a mistake. It’s become increasingly apparent that the Liberal Democrats were never able to make true on these promises and these policies would see a quick shift in the completely opposite direction: Tripling Tuition Fees. As you’d imagine, this was met with outrage and even riots in many places across London as both students and vandals alike too to the street, protested and damaged government buildings. Truly, that day saw many a brick pass through a Tory office window.
As the riots quelled and the student society realized they would simply have to accept the fact that the already-high £3000-a-year tuition fees were skyrocketing to £9000-a-year and continuing to gradually climb higher. Students were now looking, including living costs, at £50,000 costs for going to university. On the upside, students now do not have to pay these fees back until they are earning £21,000 a year. But this is also why the new system is failing.
We’re in the middle of one of the biggest economic recessions that the country has ever seen and as such, companies are cutting back, groups are being selective, corporations are trimming the fat. Jobs simply aren’t as plentiful as they used to be and as you’d imagine, very few graduates go straight into a job and even fewer earn £21,000 upon graduating. To boot, the idea of having a £50,000 debt on one’s head is not attractive in the least.
These factors have seen a huge 17% drop in undergraduates in the first year alone, with 19% of the remaining having to take up a part-time job alongside their University coursework, exams, practices and activities in order to cope with the costs of University living. What’s worse is that the massive, £50,000 debt-plus-interest is actually sinking the country even deeper into debt with every student as over 48.6% of graduates do not pay back their fees as they do not reach the £21,000 threshold. This not only bodes extremely poorly for the Liberal Democrat and associated Conservative parties, but it also could prove catastrophic down the line as the bills simply are never paid off.
So how about finding a better position for teaching elsewhere? SeekTeachers operates all over the world and places teachers worldwide in positions of absolutely every type! Have a look at our Job Listings page today!
[BBC News: Higher fees led to 17% drop in UK undergraduates]
[BBC News: Student Loans Face Timebomb]