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Students say 'No More Fees'!

Cameraboy | 06.11.2008 00:35 | Education | Social Struggles | Cambridge

About a hundred very colourful students marched through the centre of Cambridge on Wednesday afternoon, proclaiming they're sick of being in debt under the Blairite Brown regime.

Lib Dem MP David Howarth speaks to students before they set out.
Lib Dem MP David Howarth speaks to students before they set out.

Some of the banner art on display...
Some of the banner art on display...

Free Speech Balloons!
Free Speech Balloons!

Poundstretching...
Poundstretching...

Interesting sentiment there!
Interesting sentiment there!

Students parade on Kings Parade.
Students parade on Kings Parade.


ARU, UEA and Cambridge Uni Students represented their grievances.
ARU, UEA and Cambridge Uni Students represented their grievances.

Press attention...
Press attention...

Poised.
Poised.

Speaker's corner...
Speaker's corner...

Protest Singer!
Protest Singer!

Careful stage management..?
Careful stage management..?

Lunchtime bulletin...students get media attention.
Lunchtime bulletin...students get media attention.

Who says Balloons don't grow on trees?
Who says Balloons don't grow on trees?



A noisy gaggle of students marched through the centre of Cambridge on Wednesday afternoon (November 5th) to protest about the crippling level of debts they have to incur just to attend University.

However, we witnessed some 'classic' stage management of the event when TV cameras from the BBC and ITV turned up to broadcast live from the end of the demo (on the green behind Queens College) for the lunchtime bulletins.

This aside, it would seem that it's OK for the current generation of politicians to have reaped the rewards of a free education and student grants back in the 1960s and 1970s, and to a more diminished level during the 1980s, but they now expect the current generation of students not to mind being pushed thousands of pounds into debt if they want to better themselves by going into higher education.

This is known as modelling the education system on the way it is done in USA, where many students there can incur debts of up to $50,000.

Well, now the same is happening here in the UK, meaning that many working class people are being put off going into higher education, even though there may be the chance of better jobs at the end of it, for fear of being lumbered with the huge debt Millstone, which is effectively a mortgage on your education, courtesy of your friendly Student Loans company.

Thanks for that Neo Labour.

And you expect the next generation of graduates to vote for you..?

Yeah, right.

Voter disgust anyone..?

Cameraboy

Comments

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Nice One!

06.11.2008 17:21

Solidarity from Sussex!

Sussex Student


funding

06.11.2008 20:03

whilst i agree that fees should be abolished i do believe that there are now so many useless degrees like golf course management/surfing/sociology etc that government funding is stretched

people may disagree which is cool but personally i reckon that unis should get back to specialising in sciences and engineering etc subjects that ultimately benefit this country

even raising the entry standards would help as potential students that otherwise could not hack it at uni would have second thoughts so less students equals less dropouts (of which there are thousands which deny more capable people of getting a degree) equals more funding per student

my final point is that the governments target of getting 50% of the population into uni standards will have to drop until people recognise that tertiary education is not for everyone which I know will be an unpopular view in these days of equality

but I'm interested in other peoples point of view as this is something I feel strongly about

student


funding

06.11.2008 20:04

whilst i agree that fees should be abolished i do believe that there are now so many useless degrees like golf course management/surfing/sociology etc that government funding is stretched

people may disagree which is cool but personally i reckon that unis should get back to specialising in sciences and engineering etc subjects that ultimately benefit this country

even raising the entry standards would help as potential students that otherwise could not hack it at uni would have second thoughts so less students equals less dropouts (of which there are thousands which deny more capable people of getting a degree) equals more funding per student

my final point is that the governments target of getting 50% of the population into uni standards will have to drop until people recognise that tertiary education is not for everyone which I know will be an unpopular view in these days of equality

but I'm interested in other peoples point of view as this is something I feel strongly about

student


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Didn't the Student Union Bottled out of this one?

11.11.2008 16:26

Didn't the Student Union Bottled out of this one? I can remember at the time before the fees came out how I urge STu' Uni' to do something and got critised for it. Mainly somebody at the time in "charge" of STu' Uni' just wanted to further his/her own career!!! Didn't want a dirty mark left on the C.V.

loppy


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