A letter to Simon Wright MP

Below is the unedited text of a letter I sent to my local MP, Simon Wright. If like me, you oppose raising tuition fees, I encourage you to write to your MP also. It may make a difference, it may not. You may receive a reply, you may not. You will however earn the right to say “I opposed the tuition fees raise, 2010”, and when raising fees backfires spectacularly in 20 years time, I hope you’ll join me in saying “I told you so”.

Dear Simon Wright MP,

I was prompted to write this letter by an NUS campaign to lobby MPs into voting against the tuition fees rise. No doubt you will have received plenty of well-written, if generic, emails from this campaign already, and it seems unlikely you are reading them all (though I do hope you are counting them). This letter won’t be as well-written, but I hope you will take the time to read it as the thoughts of another busy person who is taking the time to write to you.

I graduated from University last July, and went straight into a full time job here in Norwich. I enjoyed my studies, and though they haven’t directly been of use in my job yet, the experience and development offered by University undoubtedly made me who I am today. To think that other young people might not be afforded this chance is a great shame, but if things continue as they are, it seems inevitable to me that they will. I don’t mean just how many people can go to University, but what those that do go actually receive.

During the time I was at University cuts had already come to bear. The course I studied lost a number of lecturers and modules, and I was not alone amongst students in noting the quality drop as a result. Quality wasn’t just lost because the options available to study decreased, or even because the modules weren’t funded as well, but because the course was being adapted for bulk teaching. The University was hoping to get greater student numbers every year, under a smaller budget. I consider that the biggest problem with tuition fees rising and cuts to University budgets – Universities will be encouraged to think as businesses, and will stop catering to individual students and areas of subjects which aren’t mainstream or profitable enough. That isn’t adapting to fit better with the economic situation, or providing more University places to people, thats turning University into school. Study at University shouldn’t be spoon fed, mainstream and something that everyone does.

Luckily that won’t be a problem if tuition fees are tripled, as the Coalition is planning to. Not everyone will go to University, because they just can’t afford to. I understand students won’t have to pay up front, and will be offered loans. Thats fine if you’re comfortable living with that much debt. For £30,000 in tuition fee debts + living expenses and other costs, would I have gone to University? Yes, but I would only consider courses with a clear career path at the end, anything very academic would be too high risk. For someone coming from a background less advantaged than mine, I can only imagine these fears would be compounded. Bursaries and grants may go some way to help, but I wonder how many Universities will continue to offer enough of these to cover the demand?

So, what about an alternative? I haven’t studied the options and figures as well as any Government considering these changes should have, but it seems to me the most obvious path is to stop encouraging everyone to go to University. A large number of the students I met during my studies weren’t enjoying it, had only gone because they had nowhere else to go, or were there because they didn’t want to find a job. Quite a few of these people would have benefitted more from an apprenticeship, learning skills whilst earning money. Some might actually have enjoyed getting a job more, or taking a gap year to work out what they wanted first. If the Government (and later Governments) worked to change the attitude of people towards University, student numbers would probably reduce, and there would be more places available to those who actually wanted to be there and study. Meanwhile, we could avoid cutting education funding (both at University and in schools) quite so much. Some of the money saved from not shoving 50% of the population through University could be invested in increasing apprenticeships, in addition to tackling the deficit.

I’d like to end by mentioning I voted Lib Dem in the election. After reading the manifestos of all four main parties, the LD and Green parties seemed to be the most sensible. I was also impressed by the tuition fees pledge signed by all Lib Dem MPs. I didn’t think the Lib Dems would win outright, or even come close, but I hoped they would at least stick to some promises. Perhaps, given the high profile of the tuition fees pledge, they might honour that. Maybe I’m alone in this, but if I ever made a solemn pledge, I’d do everything I could to keep it. With that in mind I urge you to vote against any rise in tuition fees, and to encourage your colleagues, regardless of their party, to do the same.

I would greatly appreciate knowing how you intend to vote.

Yours Sincerely,

Daniel Wood

EDIT: Added tags.

EDIT 2: I’ve just seen on the news that Mr Wright has announced his opposition to the fees rise, and intention to vote against. Marvellous!