Student backlash over call to end free tuition for Scots

The Herald Scotland 21 September 2018

Students have hit out at suggestions that free university tuition in Scotland should end as senior academics questioned the sustainability of the Scottish National Party’s flagship policy. A university principal, speaking on condition of anonymity, said “it is time to look at a gradual increase in tuition fees for Scottish students – or at least consider it”, as the current funding model is “unsustainable”, reports The Herald Scotland.

But Liam McCabe, the president of the National Union of Students (NUS) Scotland, said there should be more not less support for Scotland’s students, so that they are not burdened with debt. McCabe said: “NUS Scotland has and always will assert that education is a right, not a privilege. It should be ability that determines how far students go in education, not the depth of their pockets – and it’s right that the Scottish government remains committed to free tuition.”

Scottish students get free university tuition in Scotland, as do students from other European Union countries, but those from England, Wales and Northern Ireland have to pay to study there. In February, the Scottish government extended the guarantee of free tuition for EU students to those starting in the 2019 to 2020 academic year. Eligible students will have their fees met for the duration of their studies, even after the UK leaves the EU.
Full report on The Herald Scotland site

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