Sai Shraddha S. Viswanathan: ‘Scottish Government is right to defend free tuition but if it truly values education it must properly fund it’
Following the news that tuition fees are set to rise in England, the National Union of Students Scotland has reiterated its stance that any move to reintroduce tuition fees for Scottish domiciled undergraduate students would be a regressive, backwards step for Scottish education and wider society that would be vehemently opposed.
Difficulties faced by Scotland’s Colleges and Universities are a result of years of government underfunding in further and higher education. NUS Scotland calls for real government investment in tertiary education as a public good.
Commenting, NUS Scotland President Sai Shraddha S. Viswanathan said:
'Free tuition for Scottish domiciled undergraduate students has made education more accessible and benefitted the whole of society. However, not every student receives free tuition and those that do know that the other costs of student life can be insurmountably high.
Education should be easily accessible to everyone in our society and the focus of our politicians should be on removing barriers to education, not bringing back old ones like tuition fees. The Scottish Government is therefore right to defend universality but if it truly values education it must properly fund it.
Our education system is struggling not because of free tuition but because of years of real term cuts and underfunding. The system is sadly now reliant on the exploitation of international students paying extortionate fees, particularly those from Britain’s former colonies. This perpetuates the lingering shadow of colonialism, maintaining wealth for some on the backs of black and brown students who continue to bear the burden of a system built on historical inequities. We need proper public investment in education for the benefit of all.
Everyone should be able to access education and that is the goal our governments should be working towards. Ultimately free tuition should extend beyond just Scottish domiciled undergraduate students, and in the immediate term greater support for students must be introduced as we are buffeted by crises in the cost of living and housing.
Scotland’s students are clear, free tuition is non-negotiable.'
NUS UK Statement on tuition fee rise in England: https://www.nus.org.uk/tuition-fee-rise
