Under the new education laws, universities will now be able to charge up to three thousand pounds sterling per year (more than $5,000) for tuition. Thus, studying at British universities will now cost much more than before. However, the money will not be collected immediately, but with a deferral until the graduate starts earning more than 15,000 pounds a year. In other words, as the BBC notes, many students will be paying off their university debt long after graduating.
The idea to raise tuition fees at universities came from the British government because educational institutions currently lack money. And the overwhelming majority of Britons want to give their children a higher education. But at the same time, until recently, universities could charge students no more than 1,100 pounds annually - and university heads said that to improve their financial situation, they would start accepting more foreign students (who are not subject to financial restrictions) and reduce the number of British applicants.
As Tony Blair stated, the government had two options in this situation. "Money must come either from the students themselves, with a simultaneous increase in state investment, or universities can be financed by raising taxes on all other citizens," said the Prime Minister. "In my opinion, taxing people who did not attend university is simply unfair."
Nevertheless, few in Britain believed the bill would be passed by parliament. Moreover, experts believed that the outcome of the parliamentary vote could directly affect the political future of Prime Minister Tony Blair. In case of failure, he could face a vote of no confidence.
The bill was indeed passed with difficulty - at the very beginning of the session, the majority of parliamentarians intended to speak out against the innovation. The authors of the reform even had to make concessions to win some votes. In particular, parliament was promised that a special independent commission would be created next year to monitor the progress of the reform and make amendments if necessary. By the way, as it turned out during the vote, it was mainly representatives of the Labour Party, which Blair leads, who refused to support the reform. Labour members said that raising tuition fees could lead to young Britons refusing to study at universities - the poor simply would not have enough money for it.
The innovations have already caused a wave of discontent in Britain. Immediately after legislators approved the education reform, several thousand students began a protest rally near parliament. The students, who had gathered while the bill was still being considered, began shouting 'Shame on Tony Blair!', whistling and waving placards after its passage. The police managed to maintain order - although some of the protesters tried to get into fights with law enforcement officers. Under the new education laws, universities will now be able to charge up to three thousand pounds sterling per year (more than $5,000) for tuition. Thus, studying at British universities will now cost much more than before. However, the money will not be collected immediately, but with a deferral until the graduate starts earning more than 15,000 pounds a year. In other words, as the BBC notes, many students will be paying off their university debt long after graduating.
The idea to raise tuition fees at universities came from the British government because educational institutions currently lack money. And the overwhelming majority of Britons want to give their children a higher education. But at the same time, until recently, universities could charge students no more than 1,100 pounds annually - and university heads said that to improve their financial situation, they would start accepting more foreign students (who are not subject to financial restrictions) and reduce the number of British applicants.
As Tony Blair stated, the government had two options in this situation. "Money must come either from the students themselves, with a simultaneous increase in state investment, or universities can be financed by raising taxes on all other citizens," said the Prime Minister. "In my opinion, taxing people who did not attend university is simply unfair."
Nevertheless, few in Britain believed the bill would be passed by parliament. Moreover, experts believed that the outcome of the parliamentary vote could directly affect the political future of Prime Minister Tony Blair. In case of failure, he could face a vote of no confidence.
The bill was indeed passed with difficulty - at the very beginning of the session, the majority of parliamentarians intended to speak out against the innovation. The authors of the reform even had to make concessions to win some votes. In particular, parliament was promised that a special independent commission would be created next year to monitor the progress of the reform and make amendments if necessary. By the way, as it turned out during the vote, it was mainly representatives of the Labour Party, which Blair leads, who refused to support the reform. Labour members said that raising tuition fees could lead to young Britons refusing to study at universities - the poor simply would not have enough money for it.
The innovations have already caused a wave of discontent in Britain. Immediately after legislators approved the education reform, several thousand students began a protest rally near parliament. The students, who had gathered while the bill was still being considered, began shouting 'Shame on Tony Blair!', whistling and waving placards after its passage. The police managed to maintain order - although some of the protesters tried to get into fights with law enforcement officers.