Students To Face Top Up Fees

Cymru X has always opposed the introduction of top-up fees in Wales, as well as tuition fees in general. We were part of the successful campaign which helped ensure that top-up fees have been ruled out in Wales until now. We support Plaid policy on this issue. A consultation is now underway, and we are encouraging all of our friends and supporters to respond to it. We will produce a stock response for people that support our stance.

The One Wales Government’s Education Minister is now proposing that fees make a return for Welsh-domiciled students, in exchange for that money being directed towards more help for worse-off students. The main argument appears to be that something must be done to close the funding gap between Universities in Wales and institutions in England. At the same time there are a number of proposals in the consultation such as debt relief or even a debt write-off for graduates, tuition fee loans, PGCE Incentives and an increased Assembly Learning Grant.

Some of these proposals are attractive, but the amount of money it would cost to implement them makes it unclear on whether the funding gap between Wales and England would be reduced.

We would therefore like to state that we remain opposed to the introduction of top-up fees in Wales, and that the funding gap between Wales and England should be addressed in a way that does not put students in even more debt.

Here are the links to the consultation documents

http://wales.gov.uk/docs//dcells/consultation/081208studentfinance1en.pdf?lang=en

http://wales.gov.uk/docs//dcells/consultation/081208sfconsultationformen.doc?lang=en

Responses to this consultation document should be sent by Monday 16 February to:
Student Finance Consultation
c/o Linda Williams
Funding and Student Finance Division
Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills
Welsh Assembly Government
Cathays Park
Cardiff
CF10 3NQ

or emailed to: studentfinanceconsultation@wales.gsi.gov.uk

Cardiau Adnabod yn cael eu Cyflwyno i Fyfyrwyr Tramor / ID Cards Introduced for Foreign Students

Cyhoeddodd llywodraeth Llafur Newydd Llundain ei gynllun i’n gorfodi i ni yn y dyfodol gyd gario cerdyn adnabod biometric – fel nad oes gennym ddigon o ffurfiau adnabod cyfreithlon yn barod. Mae’r un hen stori wedi ei leisio gan Weinidogion y Swyddfa Gartref – nad oes gan bobol sydd ddim yn torri’r gyfraith unrhyw beth i’w boeni amdano. Atal terfysgaeth yw’r prif reswm dros gyfiawnhau cyhoeddi y cardiau adnabod. Mae arbenigwyr yn anghytuno gan ddweud y byddai terfysgwyr a troseddwyr gyfundrefnol mwy na thebyg gyda dogfennau adnabod cywir arnynt beth bynnag, ac yn amlwg mae modd ffugio unrhyw ddogfen yn y dydd sydd ohoni.
Ddoe fe ymosodwyd ar ein hawliau sifil, ac yn syfrdanol heb lawer os nad unrhyw ymdriniaeth gan y wasg, cyflwynwyd y cardiau adnabod i fyfyrwyr sy’n trigo tu allan i Ewrop ynghyd a’u priod yn y D.U. Mae Caerdydd yn westeiwr i un o ganolfannau Asiantaethau Ffiniau’r D.U. Ffordd o brofi y totalitariaeth difrifol sydd ganddynt mewn golwg yw hyn. Cyn bo hir, fe ddown nhw am y gweddill ohonom ni.
Fe groesawyd y newyddion bod Cymru wedi arddangos ei sefyllfa yn glir, mae Llywodraeth y Cynulliad yn gwrthwynebu yn llwyr, ac na fyddai’n ofynnol iddynt ddangos y cerdyn er mwyn mynediad i wasanaethau a gynigir gan WAG.
Mae’n bryd i fyfyrwyr a phobol ifanc yng Nghymru sefyll mewn cydlyniad gyda ein cyfatebwyr tu allan i Ewrop sydd yn gwrthwynebu cardiau adnabod. Gallwn orfodi y Llywodraeth i roi’r gorau i droseddu ar ein hawliau sifil.

The New Labour Government in London plans to force us all to carry biometric ID cards in the future- as if we don’t already have enough forms of legitimate ID. The usual lines have already been trotted out by Home Office Ministers- law-abiding people have nothing to fear. Terrorism prevention is being promoted as the main benefit of introducing these new ID cards. But experts have already pointed out that terrorists and other organised criminals tend to have the correct ID on them anyway, and obviously anything can be forged in this day and age.
Yesterday the assault on our civil liberties took a new turn as, amidst very little fanfare or press coverage, ID cards were introduced for non-EU students and their spouses in the UK. Cardiff hosts one of the UK Border Agency centres that will be issuing ID cards. This is a kind of ‘road-test’ for the grim totalitarian
takeover that they have in mind. Eventually, they will come for the rest of us.
We welcome the news that Wales has already made its position clear, the Assembly is against ID cards and the Assembly Government has already ruled that they will not be required to access services provided by the WAG.
Students and young people in Wales should stand in solidarity with our counterparts from outside the EU in opposing ID cards, whoever they are issued to. When the time comes, we should all refuse to carry them. We can force the Government to abandon this attack on our civil liberties.

Hawl sylfaenol i bawb / A right - not a privilege

Hawl sylfaenol i bawb

Credwn mewn sustem addysg sydd am ddim i bawb, lle rhoddir GRANTIAU, ac nid benthyciadau i astudio. Rydym yn erbyn ffioedd dysgu a ffioedd atodol a gwrthwynebwn farchnadeiddio'r sustem addysg uwch. Y dewis o addysg bellachCredwn fod gan bawb yr hawl i addysg brifysgol am ddim, ond credwn hefyd y dylid rhoi mwy o bwyslais a help i gynlluniau prentisiaeth i'r rhai sy'n DEWIS peidio â dilyn cwrs gradd. Bydd hyn yn rhoi gyrfaoedd da a chrefft arbennig i bobl ifanc mewn nifer o feysydd lle gwelir prinder sgiliau ar hyn o bryd.

A right - not a privilege

We believe in a free education system whereby students receive GRANTS, not loans while they study. We are against tuition fees and top-up fees and oppose the marketisation of Higher Education. Everyone should have the choice of a university educationBut we also believe that greater importance and funding should be given to create apprenticeship schemes for those who don't wish to pursue an academic degree. This will provide young people with highly skilled careers and combat shortages in many skilled fields.