Don’t Let The Market Rule Education

Students:

Don’t Let The Market Rule Education

ON THE eve of the crucial parliamentary vote on the final
reading of the Higher Education bill, several Labour ‘rebel’ backbenchers were
still threatening to oppose government plans to bring in top-up tuition fees
(which the government calls ‘variable fees’).

Meanwhile some vice-chancellors, mainly from the former
polytechnics, have written a letter to The Guardian warning that: "…variable
fees will further widen the differences in resources for universities and
disadvantage the majority of students."

Michael Wainwright of Brunel Socialist Students told us:
"Socialist Students have been organising to join the National Union of Students
(NUS) lobby of Parliament against top-up tuition fees. We’re fed up with the
market becoming the sole purpose of university life.

"At Brunel, departments such as Geography and American
Studies are being slashed. The administration is making decisions centrally
without discussing with students and lecturers. They’re making decisions on the
basis of making profits.

"This defeats the whole concept of education being a right
and not a privilege. It is creating a growing anger among students.

"Universities are becoming centres for business rather than
centres for learning."