Is It Now Time That Boris's Water Cannons, Were Earning Their Keep?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3303774/Scuffles-break-march-against-university-tuition-fees-shadow-chancellor-John-McDonnell-accuses-Government-betraying-students.html

[Cloverjo]

I think there should be fewer university places, but it should be free for the people who are clever enough to get them.
I am a Labour supporter but I disagreed with Tony Blair's vision of getting 50% of school-leavers into university.

[Cloverjo]

AOG, many will probably be caught in the middle; earning enough to have to repay their loan, but not enough to save to put down a deposit on a house. Or will struggle to pay the ridiculous rental prices in London, for example.

[anotheoldgit]

Cloverjo

That is their choice, why should the rest of us have to pay for other peoples children to further their life's ambitions, we already pay for a state education, from there they are on their own, no one tops the wages of low paid apprentices up.

[Gromit]

// why should the rest of us have to pay for other peoples children to further their life's ambitions //

Because a workforce that has advanced education is good for the country. Most of Europe and Scotland see that and fund University places. My guess is that AOG didn't have a University education, which is why he thinks the state should not pay for anyone else to have one.

[Retrochic]

AOG " no one tops the wages of low paid apprentices up."

Not quite correct. A large proportion of an Apprentice wage comes from government funding though the Skills Funding Agency

[New Judge]

“Because a workforce that has advanced education is good for the country.”

I won’t go into the debate that many degree courses require no greater intellect than a couple of good ‘A’ Levels may have done 25 years ago. In the UK no more than about 10% of jobs require the jobholder to be educated to degree level. This figure is gradually declining as the country moves from a high wage high skilled economy to one of a lower paid lower skilled variety. (A vast majority of the new jobs recently created fall into this category). It is ridiculous to send upwards of 50% of the country’s young people to university when many of them will emerge to find that the only vacancies available to them are frying burgers in McDonalds or stacking shelves in Sainsburys. Four out of five of them are going to be disappointed having been led to believe the world will be their oyster only to find it most certainly is not.

Many of those disappointed will not have to repay their loans as they are unlikely to earn enough to pass the threshold which compels them to do so. Effectively that money is wasted. A fundamental rethink of higher education is required so that only those likely to benefit from a degree course (to the extent that it may secure them a job which requires a degree) become eligible for any funding, including loans. If young people still want to go to Barnsley university to secure a degree in “multimedia” or a BA in “popular music” good luck to them. But they should pay for it themselves.

[Jackdaw33]

When I was a student in the early seventies I remember the furore caused when Bradford University introduced a degree course in 'Peace Studies'.

[anotheoldgit]

Gromit

/// My guess is that AOG didn't have a University education, which is why he thinks the state should not pay for anyone else to have one. ///

Been looking into that crystal ball once again have you?