Responding to a report published today by the Sutton Trust, Green Party Higher and Further Education spokesperson Dave Cocozza said:
“The final report from the Sutton Trust confirms that the system of fees and loans is failing students and universities.
“The 40% drop in part-time students and 10% drop in mature students highlighted by the report is extremely worrying, and we welcome the Trust's recommendation for the BIS Select Committee to investigate this.
“Those who have families, are looking to retrain, or who have financial worries are being put off seeking the education they aspire to by the grossly inappropriate level of debt that comes with a university education. Upwards of £50,000 of debt is a significant burden on anyone, and whilst the report notes that the fee system hasn't changed the numbers of students recruited, it has certainly changed the student demographic.
“The Green Party has always advocated the benefits of a well-funded education system. We recognise the need to properly support our university institutions in difficult financial times, but argue that this cost should be borne by larger corporations by way of an increased tax levy – not by saddling students with horrific levels of debt.
“My party and I are deeply concerned by this government's decision to scrap maintenance grants in favour of loans, and echo the Trust's concerns about the current model of funding.
“We will not stop our campaign to #KeepTheGrants, and the fight for free education, until those in power recognise what damage they are doing to the aspirations of the next generation of learners, and stop their continued assault on higher education. After all, it wasn't current school leavers or future students that caused the global recession, so why should they continue to pay for it for decades to come?”