Some GRM readers will remember when tuition fees for university were free, others when it was a mere £3000 compared to the current fee of £9000 a year for students.
It was revealed earlier this week that the Government have only gone and increased that fee to £9250. P*ssed? You will be once you hear that this decision was made by the Department for Education, completely unannounced.
The Department for Education (DfE) has since come under scrutiny for attempting to “sneak” the increased fee. As apposed to being announced on the DfE website, the regulation was placed on www.legislation.gov.uk .
Lib Dem leader Tim Farron commented on the situation, saying, “This is a shabby little way to announce something, hiding it away in a far-flung corner of a government website.”
Whilst this sudden rise in tuition fee is set to affect an astounding 500,000 students, a statement from the Department for Education was released after much pressure.
The statement read, “The measure had been trailed in the summer and that no further announcement was needed…Importantly, universities will not be able to increase their fees unless they have passed rigorous quality standards.
“We are determined to make sure that everyone with the potential to benefit from higher education has the opportunity to do so.”
Merry Christmas.