Universities Minister David Willetts has made a speech which clearly indicates the Coalition Government is considering a rise in tuition fees.
Mr. Willetts warned that all higher education institutions in the UK are on “shaky financial ground”.
He went on to call the cost of students’ courses “a burden on the taxpayer that had to be tackled” during an interview with the Guardian.
Mr. Willetts did not comment on the Browne Review, which is due to publish its investigation into tuition fees later this year.
However, he said that students should see their fees as “more of an obligation to pay higher income tax” instead of a debt.
NUS President-elect Aaron Porter said that the £22,000 debt of an average graduate “felt very much like debt to them”.
Mr Porter said, “Students are the innovators, professionals and public servants that will drive the economic recovery of the UK.
“To abandon them now will severely damage the country for many years to come.”
Students’ Union President Paul Tobin said that Mr. Willetts’ criticisms of students were “nonsense”.
“Students should not see their student debt as a ‘higher income tax’, because it’s not, it’s a massive debt that hangs over our heads.
He said that an increase in tuition fees could have a disastrous effect on the way that the higher education system operates.
“If fees rise, it is likely that different universities will charge different amounts for the same courses.
“As a result, a market will be created where students go to the university they can afford to go to, rather than the one which has the most appropriate course for them.
“This is totally unfair for students, the majority of whom being under and without the means to earn sufficient money beforehand.
“The whole economy of Britain will suffer, as a knowledge-based economy cannot prosper without the education of its workforce.”
Education Officer Holly Taylor said that she thought a rise in fees would not change the system and instead make it harder for people to get to University.
“It’s easy to point the finger at the people who have no voice in the discussions and David Willetts’ comments were unfair.
“If tuition fees become uncapped we will move towards the problems students face in America where there’s a reluctance to study based on fear of debt and places at Ivy League Universities such as Harvard are completely unobtainable to most people because they are able to charge such extortionate fees.”
“The current system has to change- both the way we pay our fees and the financial support system for students which is failing at the moment.
“In addition the money going into our Higher Education system needs to be increased to guarantee the student experience and the quality of learning and teaching that students deserve.
“However I strongly disagree with anyone who thinks that extra money should come out of the pockets of students as it just isn’t there.
“Turning to industry and businesses seems like the obvious answer to me.
“Universities in this country are trying to produce some of the highest calibre graduates in the world for them so it is them we should be looking to for greater financial backing.”
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