Scottish students have rubbished a report by Reform Scotland’s paper that called for graduate students to start contributing towards their undergraduate fees.
Students and graduates across Scotland have voiced their concerns about a report released by a think tank that called for their contribution towards their university fees once they graduate from universities.
Scottish students opposition to undergraduate fees
Scottish students are not supposed to pay any fee for their undergraduate education. This is contrary to other European Union countries and Britain. For these countries, students are required to contribute at least part of their undergraduate education.
The report’s call for endowment contribution also goes against the government policies that have been in place since 2007 that banned students from paying anything towards their undergraduate education.
The spread of coronavirus in the country has put universities in Scotland in a hard financial situation. Universities have also been closed down and online classes replaced the face to face interactions.
Calls for university fees payment
Reform Scotland’s paper argued that the coronavirus had devastated the education sector in the country and they were running low on money. They said, it was only fair for these students to start contributing towards the betterment of the universities they studied in, once they start earning a salary.
They also continued by saying that the European Union students who study in Scotland should also contribute tuition fees. This would help universities to cater to their financial needs, especially coming out of a pandemic.
However, the Scottish students have rubbished these calls by calling Reform Scotland’s paper a right-wing think tank meant to score political mileage. Strathclyde University Students’ Union president Matt Crilly said the current situation is that there has been a global monetization of education, especially for international students.
He said, levying the students was not a solution, after the pandemic. He continued by arguing that only through increased government investment in the education sector could salvage these universities.
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