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MSPs vote to end students' graduation fee

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Published Date: 21 December 2007
By Scott Macnab
PLANS to ditch the fee paid by students after graduation were backed by MSPs yesterday, despite opposition from a rare Labour-Conservative alliance.
Ministers argued that scrapping the £2,289 charge would help to relieve the financial pressures facing graduates.

Ending the graduate endowment was a key SNP manifesto pledge, but the plan suffered a setback last week when Holyrood's education com
mittee voted against the move in a report.

Yesterday's parliamentary vote to ditch the graduate endowment – which saw MSPs back by 65-60 the general principles of a bill to scrap the fee – was welcomed by student leaders and hailed as "good news for students" by Fiona Hyslop, the education secretary.

James Alexander, president of the National Union of Students Scotland, said: "This is the first step in the right direction.

"We believe it is very important that barriers to education are removed, and the graduate endowment did act as that, especially in the poorest areas.

"But the graduate endowment does nothing to tackle student hardship, and that's why more needs to be done," he said.

Following the vote, Ms Hyslop said the SNP-led government was committed to removing the burden of student debt.

She added: "We believe debt, and the fear of debt, acts as a barrier that prevents some youngsters from entering university.

"The removal of the unfair and inefficient graduate endowment fee is an important first step in our plans, and I am delighted that parliament has approved it.

"Abolishing the fee is not just good news for students and graduates – around 50,000 will benefit immediately – but is also in the best interests of the public purse, as taxpayers lose around a third of all fee income collected."

Student presidents from around the country previously wrote to MSPs urging them to back abolition of the endowment.

MSPs still have to vote through the bill at stage three next year, before the graduate endowment can be formally scrapped.

Labour's Richard Baker, a member of Holyrood's education committee, said yesterday's vote was "political posturing".

He added: "Abolishing the graduate endowment will not give one more penny to any of Scotland's students.

"Labour is disappointed parliament has not voted to endorse our proposals for improved student bursaries, but we will continue to press this issue."

The bill had the backing of the SNP, Lib Dems, Greens and the independent Margo MacDonald, which proved enough to defeat the Labour-Tory alliance.

COST OF A DEGREE

THE graduate endowment is a fixed charge graduates are expected to pay once they finish their degree.

The amount paid is set at the start of a degree course. Students who began their course in the 2006-7 academic year will be due to pay £2,289. The fees were introduced for EU students in Scotland in 2001 and the first students started paying in 2005.

The cash funds bursaries and support for students.



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21/12/2007 01:44:16
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21/12/2007 02:09:37
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3

qohldr,

21/12/2007 03:10:36
Well done the Students it looks like your protest when the government tried to backtrack on this promise has worked.
But don't forget that they are only implementing this policy promise due to your actions, if you had not protested they would not have gone through with it.
4

Arrow,

edinburgh 21/12/2007 05:36:15
#3 who would not have gone through with it? clearly the disloyal "opposition". SNP government were pushing for it but were frustrated by the Lab-Cons who wanted to demonstrate that this was an SNP minority goverment. perhaps they thought that the public did not know? all this has done is to show that the "opposition" (sic) have screwed up again. well done SNP. i heard that Wendy showed up. shameless wee bauchle.
5

Arrow,

21/12/2007 05:45:17
Richard Baker MSP
Education:
Aberdeen University
MA (Hons) English Literature

Career History:
2002
Research Officer Scottish Parliament Labour Group

2000-2002
Scottish Press Officer, Help the Aged

1998-2000
NUS Scotland President

another numpty that has never had a real job.

6

donald,

glasgow 21/12/2007 07:31:47
When was the Lab-Con Unionist Alliance "new"?
7

Auld Twa,

Edinburgh 21/12/2007 07:50:00
Labour's Richard Baker, a member of Holyrood's education committee, said yesterday's vote was "political posturing". He added: "Abolishing the graduate endowment will not give one more penny to any of Scotland's students."
He is right as technically students cease to be students when they graduate, however it will leave ex-students a couple of thousand pounds better off. As parents of graduates we would say that this is removing one more hurdle for young people starting out on their careers.
If the student endowment was such a great idea why did Richard Baker and Labour not seek to extend the principle of placing money back into the system for the benefit of the less well off to other qualifications ?
Why was it not charged to apprentices in other trades who benefited from the further education colleges ?
8

Organic peasant,

N E Scotland 21/12/2007 08:18:52
As the parent of one about to go to uni this is welcome news. But all student debt is an incentive to emigrate, if you leave the UK after you graduate you do not have to pay anything at all (I know you are "supposed" to but no one does), so the best career path for a young Scot is uni then USA. (not quite so bad for Scots as English tho) If you are a doctor with the vast debt the medical course forces on you, remaining in the UK is crazy.
9

gwp,

Glasgow 21/12/2007 08:40:44
#8 What about moving to an EU country - do you have to pay it back then? Also what happens to the debt you leave behind - does it grow hugh charges to wait for you if return before you reach retirement age?
10

Linda,

Edinburgh 21/12/2007 08:47:40
All Students and parents should welcome the SNP government's abolition of graduate endowment fees and remember that Labour and Tory MSPs voted against reducing student (and their parents) debt.
11

Calum Crubag,

21/12/2007 08:53:30
a rare Labour-Conservative alliance???????

I thought they were one and the same?

Well done. Free education is a right.
12

saddogred,

Edinburgh 21/12/2007 09:54:35
I agree that fees should be scrapped, but what about the Scots students who decided to study down south on courses that were not avaialble in Scotland? My daughter has just completed a degree in England and is facing a student loan debt of around £5000. We both knoew this was likely before she started, but by helping the Scotland base students, those who took a calculated decision to study outside Scotland are now being discriminated against
13

Doh,

21/12/2007 10:14:53


Good to see the SNP and LibDems vote together on this.

I they need to work more closely with each other and so introduce local income tax as well. The SNP need to build bridges to the LibDems not the Tories.


It would be ironic if more LibDem policies were introduced by the SNP while the LibDems were in opposition than were introduced by Labour when the LibDems were in government.

Its a funny old game.
14

The Federalist (the poster formerly know as NAUON),

21/12/2007 10:26:34
"If the student endowment was such a great idea why did Richard Baker and Labour not seek to extend the principle of placing money back into the system for the benefit of the less well off to other qualifications?"

My understanding is that their proposed bursary system would have done this. Howver, as with everything that a government done to choicves caused by budget limitations.

They either had to scrap the graduate endowments or proceed with bursaries. The finances were not available to do both.

Both systems leave students with debts. With graduate endowments being abolished students still have to borrow from financial institutions to finance their way through higher education. With bursaries students would have less worry about finances whilst studying but still have to repay the graduate endowments.

The one attraction of bursaries and retaining the graduate endowment is that it would mean that students would owe money to the government and not a private financial institution who may have far stricter terms when it comes to repayment.
15

gwp,

Glasgow 21/12/2007 10:26:54
#13 The lib dems were never in government - Labour had a minority and the lib dems shored it up - consequently labour had to make allowances and share power with the Lib Dems otherwise they would never get anything done - my own perspective is that the lib dems used their influence to put a more human aspect on the political landscape than you will ever see if any one parliament is dominant - look to the UK position with both Labour and Conservative ruling the roost - they become arrogant and dismissive of the votors who they see as someone to be won over 5 minutes before an election and discarded 5 minutes after.

Scary isn't it! - politics and morality actually starting to happen in a small way!!!!!
16

Linda,

Edinburgh 21/12/2007 10:29:34
Doh..Lib Dems introduced Graduate Endowment fees and even voted for top up fees in last Scottish Parliament
17

Farky,

Edinburgh 21/12/2007 10:30:11
#3
What utter nonsense you have written. The SNP governemnt did not back track in any way whatsoever. What you should be questioning is why anyone in parliament voted against this bill.

Scrapping the endowment however is about as far I would go. I hear so much talk about student hardship, but I see a clear majority of students wearing very nice clothes, flashing the latest mobiles phones, ipods and other gadgets. I hear they no longer drink in the students union because it is no longer cool or trendy. It does annoy me slightly that the spending priorities of many students appear to be somewhat irresponsible to say the least.
18

Rony,

Fife 21/12/2007 16:43:24
Remember LABOUR and TORIES wanted you to pay a £2,289 charge.
Remember LABOUR and TORIES wanted you to pay a £2,289 charge.
REMEMBER at next election how these people who had free education voted.
19

Eve,

Scotland 21/12/2007 17:24:30
"despite opposition from a rare Labour-Conservative alliance."

RARE!!!!! REALLY!!!! seriously!!!!

Well may be it can be still classed as rare BUT give them another year or two and it will be classed as routinely or routine alliance!!! In Holyrood terms!!!
20

Eve,

Scotland 21/12/2007 17:47:17
#3 qohldr: That protested was done by well of students, (well that's the way they looked in the photograph in the Scotsman). Come on think about it!! poorer students would have been able to afford the printed posters they held, which where at least A3. I had to visit a copy shop in my last year at Uni and there services where prices for someone who only got 3 instalments of £500 in the academic year, from the student loan company that doesn't even cover rent, luckily my parents paid my rent BUT I still had to scrape by for other bills, food, toiletries (female monthly essentials are expensive, especially when your unlucky) and an odd night out, on what works out as being roughly £45 a week.

The Graduate endowment fee was NOT ask for this year, I know I graduated in the summer the Principle of the uni I went too pressed the new administration in Holyrood because of this plan.

I haven't received any letters demanding about £2,300 which I know last years graduates got asking for it to be paid by April the following year.
21

Dr Malcolm H Sutcliffe PhD Physics,

21/12/2007 19:19:15
This was a very sensible policy change by the SNP government.ie the scrapping of university fees.There have been many good policy changes, which make the wMPs ie westminster MPs look amaturish by comparison, the housing program, the response to local needs in the NHS and the decision to speed up green energy generation applications ;the decision of the parliament to reject trident from Scottish waters by 71 to 16 and others. A mild rebuke could be made about the Trump affair from which lessons can be learned. It is totally unnecessary for SNP leaders to suck up to the likes of Donald Trump,he may or may not be in the position to borrow a billion dollars (the definition of a billionaire)but (a)he doesn't live in Scotland (b) he therefore can not give political donations legally so Ms Alexander will probably writing him a letter asking for money to his Jersey flat (c)he can not vote in Scotland. He has also behaved in a typical American fashion ie throwing his weight around fashion. I am actually very impressed by that Scottish farmer who won council approval to reject the application. I hope John Swinney SNP MSP puts such tight conditions on the application that it falls through.For example why not specify all the development has to be carbon neutral.? One basic rule when meeting such 'billionaire' personalities is don't be too impressed by them ,offer them a cup of tea but don't be taken in by their so called hospitality, the purpose of it is to
impress the recipients so they can become even more rich and greedy. Ask them how did they get like that.? Bring them down to earth a bit it will do them a favour, they are after all human beings with problems like most of us Tell them you like to walk if they insist on giving a chauffer driven lift ie don't be too easily taken in by such people,who are often very corrupt and want what you have got.
22

Liberal for life,

Dunblane 21/12/2007 21:08:15
There you have it - despite the name calling the LibDems will still vote with the SNP on matters of principle. Its just a pity so little principle is apparent from our present First Minister who really should lead by GOOD example. But not he, never he, the annoited one, the wee swik!
23

McGubbligan,

Australia 22/12/2007 04:54:57
Is it my imagination or does all bad news start with:
SNP, Salmond, McAskill,Sturgeon etc.
Then all good news starts with:Holyrood,MSP's,Labour etc!

 

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