Labour party hints at ‘no fees’ policy

Scottish Labour’s “direction of travel” is to rule out the introduction of tuition fees north of the border, according to the party’s shadow education secretary. Kezia Dugdale said she was “very hopeful” she would be able to pledge to keep undergraduate study free but cautioned that this would only happen if sufficient funding was also available to widen access and to reduce the student drop-out rate in the country, writes Chris Havergal for Times Higher Education.

The MSP – Member of the Scottish Parliament – struck a different tone to that previously adopted by Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont, who said in 2012 that it was “not viable” to fund a mass participation higher education sector using only public funds. He claimed that such a system was “essentially regressive” because it helped a disproportionate number of graduates from privileged backgrounds.
Full report on the Times Higher Education site