Protests against higher university fees

Vocabulary

Tuition Fees: the money students pay to study a course at university

Loan: money that the government give to students to pay for tuition fees or living costs, but that must be paid back

Grant: money the government gives to the poorest students. This does not need to be repaid

Protests: demonstrations in the streets to show your opposition to something

University in the United Kingdom is not free, but there are big differences between each country in the United Kingdom.

England: students in England pay around £3300 each year in tuition fees to attend university, regardless of the institution they study at or the course they study.

Northern Ireland: the situation is the same as in England.

Scotland: in Scotland, these fees are paid by the Scottish government, but only for Scottish students. Students from the rest of the UK pay fees of around £2000.

Wales: in Wales the tuition fees for Welsh students are significantly lower than in England, at around  £1250.
In May there was a General Election, and we now have a ‘Coalition Government’, made up of two parties. They have recently proposed to triple the maximum fee that can be charged to £9000. This means students could leave university with a debt of nearly £30,000 for tuition fees alone.

On 10^th November, there were huge protests in London against the proposals made by the government. Around 50,000 people, mainly students, marched outside Westminster to voice their anger. Unfortunately, the protests became violent and damaged buildings. 35 people were arrested, and 14 people were taken to hospital because they had been injured.

One of the reasons the students are angry is that the Coalition Government is made up of two parties, the Conservative Party and the LiberalDemocrats. Before the election, the Liberal Democrats promised to vote against any rise in tuition fees. Now they have broken their promise, and students are threatening to recall their MPs (members of parliament) and vote against them.

If the government increases tuition fees, it would begin in 2012. This means that most of the students protesting now wouldnt be affected by the changes. However, most students feel very strongly about the proposals, which they say are unfair and will prevent poorer students from going to university.

Questions

How much do students in England pay in tuition fees each year?

How much do Scottish students studying in Scotland pay in tuition fees each year?

What kind of government do we have in the UK at the moment?

How many students protested?

When will the increased fees be introduced?

Helen Ullock