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