The Times: ‘Parties accused of dodging protests over tuition fees’
Published on April 20, 2010
A group of universities is calling for some or all of the £5 billion cost of tuition fees and maintenance loans to be funded by the private sector through sales of bonds, not by the taxpayer, as in Hungary. University Alliance, representing 22 universities including Oxford Brookes, Bournemouth, Plymouth and Nottingham Trent, said that companies should, in return, charge students higher interest on loans. Typical interest rates might rise to 4.5 or 5 per cent, from their current rate pegged to inflation. Students would not face higher monthly repayments but would repay loans over longer periods.
University Alliance CEO Vanessa Wilson has responded to the government’s latest budget measures impacting skills and higher education: “Today, the government announced a budget to secure the economy: with public services and investment at its heart.”…
University Alliance has joined forces with other organisations responsible for educating doctors, nurses and allied health professionals to urge the government to include education, training, and research at the centre…
