Наука и Образование: научно-техническое издание: SCOTLAND: Tuition fees bar 25% of people entering part-time education

One-quarter of Scots would like to study part-time at university but are put off by tuition fees, finds a poll out today.

The figure rose among unemployed people polled, with 73% of those saying the cost of studying part-time stopped them applying for courses that would help them back into work.

“Access to higher education should be based on the ability to learn but many part-time students continue to have to pay tuition fees,” said Dr James Miller, director of the Open University in Scotland, which commissioned the MORI poll.

“There’s clearly an issue about fairness but it is also a critical issue for government to address early on, if our economy is to grow and remain competitive.”

Scottish students studying full time in Scotland pay no tuition fees. In a statement to the SNP party conference in March, First Minister Alex Salmond said “the rocks will melt with the sun” before he would allow tuition fees.

However, students who are part-time but study at almost the same intensity as their full-time colleagues are still expected to pay fees. It is an anomaly Mr Miller would like addressed.

“What we are looking for ultimately is equity between part-time and full-time students,” he said, although he admitted he was concerned about how it might be achieved. Last year’s Browne Review into the funding of tertiary education in England, for instance, recommended that instead of an upfront fee, students should pay a graduate contribution fee when they leave university.

“They’ve substituted one [payment] for another,” said Mr Miller. “A relatively modest upfront fee in England has been replaced by a higher graduate contribution later on.” From the Scottish Government, Mr Miller is seeking an extension to the financial support available to some part-time students to ensure cost is no barrier to anyone considering higher education.

About half of Open University students currently pay their fees themselves. Some students are sponsored by employers; some apply for Individual Learning Accounts – but access to these is dependent on the level and intensity of study, and they are barred to students earning more tha n £22,000.

Meanwhile, unemployed people have their fees paid for them, depending on the level and intensity of study, but the poll findings also demonstrate that many simply do not realise there is free access to part-time courses available.

Esther Black, 34, is studying part-time with the Open University for a post-graduate degree in environmental decision- making. She is paying £6000 over the period of her two-year course but is only able to do so because her employer helps her financially. She thinks there should be more support for part-time students.

“It’s about reskilling and making sure Scottish companies are nimble and able to respond to changes in the economy or their particular sector,” said Ms Black. “Ultimately that ties into economic recovery. But if the only way of getting your fees paid is to be studying full time, that takes people out of the workplace. That has an impact on the economy as well.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The Scottish Government firmly believes that access to higher education should be based on the ability to learn rather than the ability to pay. We have set out our commitment to continue engaging with and listening to all those with an interest in the sector.‪

“Under the Part Time Higher Education Grant, people earning under £22,000 a year can access a £500 grant towards the costs of studying part-time, helping them develop skills and improve job prospects.”

Source: Herald Scotland

Photo: Edinburgh University

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