16 June 2010
Free higher education in Scotland should end because of the economic crisis, according to a conservative think-tank.
Reform Scotland called for Scottish university graduates to contribute towards the cost of their education by paying a deferred fee.
Its June 14 report, Power to learn, said: ‘‘While spending in Scotland increased by 60% between 1999 and 2009 this cannot continue. While we believe that it makes for a better, and fairer, system of funding higher education if graduates contribute towards the cost, the economic situation strengthens the case for change.’
Higher education could not be seen as a ‘free entitlement’ in the way that state school education is, and paid for entirely by the taxpayer, the report added.
It recommended that graduates should contribute towards the cost as a deferred fee to be paid once they earn more than the average Scottish salary, which is currently around £23,000 a year.
Upfront tuition fees were abolished by the former Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition Scottish Executive. Instead, a graduate endowment was introduced, whereby students were required to pay back £2,000 once they were earning more than £10,000.
However, the current Scottish National Party administration at Holyrood abolished the requirement to make any payment.
In England, the issue of whether to raise the current cap of £3,225 on university tuition fees is currently under review.
