[Prev:
Fish Market] [Next:
My
Courses] [
Index]
Honk If You Hate Fees
Today was marked as the national student walk-out day to protest the
introduction of fees to the British higher education system. British
parliament already has plans in place to introduce fees of around 1000
pounds (about US$1600) per student per year for higher education beginning
in fall of 1998. Education here is currently free (HEY! Why am I paying
tuition costs to be on this program?).
Many students are protesting the general idea that one would have to pay
for education, while others are protesting the fact that the fees paid
would not be directly re-invested in the university they attended, but
rather in to the national tax pool. There are arguments that this
indirectly benefits students and the nation as a whole, but this is
apparently more difficult to see for students who stand firmly by the
ideal of absolutely free ("Scot-free"?) education.
Many lectures were cancelled, or at least rescheduled, and most students
didn't attend class. There were fliers, people on the street handing out
balloons, and bumper signs that said "honk if you hate fees". It seemed
particulary interesting that protest organizers targetted current students
rather than the incoming students and lower-education students that would
be most affected.
Many of the folks I talked to didn't care one way or the other and were
just excited that they didn't have to go to class. I ate dinner tonight
with a guy from Germany and a guy from Spain, and we shared horror stories
about the way education works in our respective countries. Both seemed to
think that the introduction of fees was inevitable and fair, albeit
unpopular.
I attended the one lecture I had because I didn't know enough about the
issue to genuinely participate in a walk-out. It seemed contradictory in
the first place that students would walk out on their education because
they supposedly cared about it so much, even more so that I might walk out
on an education I (and my family...thanks, mom) am paying for.
[Prev:
Fish Market] [Next:
My
Courses] [
Index]
