At what price further education?

Our wonderful government plan to remove the cap on tuition fees in Universities. This could result in courses costing over £7,000 a year. This concerns me, it concerns me a great deal.

Obviously the idea behind this is to raise more money for the Universities allowing them to provide better facilities. But provide them to who. By pricing a degree at over £21,000, plus loan debt (which they also plan to increase the interest on massively) it will take the option of University away from many many people. Yes, the very poorest will get help, but what about people who are not rich just not what the government consider to be poor?  They will surely struggle to fund such enormous costs, and their children will be burdened with debts that will spiral over time.

I went to Uni, but sadly things didn't work out for me, but even though I only part completed my course, I left with a wedge of debt, which as soon as I hit £15k started... very slowly... being paid back. Now for a littel more relief the cap will be £21k but even before you reach that, and you'd expect almost all graduates to get there even not if straight away, the debt will be building. It would almost make Uni not worthwhile.

I have a daughter, she wont be headed off to further education just yet, she's only 2! But by the time she is 18 I dread to think what the costs will have escalated too. I hope she turns into some intellectual legend and gets a scholarship, otherwise I really don't see how I'm going to fund it. Short of me getting a run of jaw dropping pay rises.

Last academic year British Universities had record entries, entries to the point where not everyone could be placed. Mental, and so so encouraging. The pessimistic side of me thinks this new rule is also partially to ensure headcount matches places. If a good percentage of applicants are put off applying, the system wont really lose and will get more cash. Plus the richer (Traditional Tory support??) will have no problems affording the new costs and their kids will be in! I hope it doesn't start driving a educational gap between the classes.

It even affects me! I was looking at going back to study part time and maybe earn that degree that eluded me. But not at those prices!

In Westminster the Lib Dems know it's wrong but they sold themselves so easily for a slice of power they've left themselves powerless to oppose the Tory policy. I know alot of their voters who regret their decision to vote towards king-maker Cleggs cronies. Thankfully (in a way) I live in a Labour seat, usually a safe one but came under Lib Dem pressure last time after some seriously heavy handed campaigning by the local Lib Dem candidate (Honestly a couple of thousand trees must have died to cover the leaflets, I'm sure they were arriving hourly at one point!)

Never again please, Labour weren't perfect, but they had the people in mind. NHS next, who knows what, 'encouraging' people to go private to save costs? Cutting necessary staff to save a quid? As long as it doesn't overly bother the South East! How long til the next election... :(