Education fee fears

Feb 14 2008 by Mark Thomas, Liverpool Daily Post

THE education of our young people is something which we know readers of the Liverpool Daily Post are most concerned about, and this week the issue landed on our front page, when the Vice Chancellor of Liverpool Hope University, Prof Gerard Pillay, spoke out over tuition fees.

The professor, one of the city’s leading academics, warned on Tuesday that thousands of students could be put off going to university if tuition fees are allowed to go up to £9,000 a year.

His comments prompted a number of letters from readers. Alan McLelland, of Mossley Hill, writes: “Prof Pillay deserves the thanks of students and their parents for drawing attention to the impact of possible increases in fees for higher education.

“Funding for higher education has been in an unsatisfactory state for years. Quite apart from the benefits for individual students, the economic well-being of this country demands the expansion of both higher education and advanced training for people from all sorts of backgrounds.”

But not everyone agrees with higher education for all. Simon Lowe, of Southport, writes: “Prof Pillay is correct in saying that students may be put off by the prospect of these high fees, but perhaps that is a good thing. We have too many young people going to university these days to study for Mickey Mouse degrees that are not worth the paper they are written on while we have a shortage of skilled labour.

“We are also seeing far too many students dropping out of university wasting their own, their parents’ and the taxpayers’ money. Many of those enrolling in higher education would be much better off learning a trade than writing essays.”

Still on an educational theme, last week saw the axe fall on Grange Hill after 30 years and on Friday, its creator, Phil Redmond – who had already pre-empted the BBC’s decision several months ago – exclusively wrote in his Daily Post column of his disappointment at the BBC.

He suggested that the Corporation should be doing more, not less, about the growing concern at the lack of homegrown children’s programming, and lamented the BBC’s decision to concentrate its children’s focus on nine-year-olds.

David Jenkins, of Allerton, contacted us after reading Mr Redmond’s piece. He says: “I don’t always find myself agreeing with Phil Redmond, and was never a fan of Brookside, but he is absolutely right in what he says about children’s programming.

“As a father-of-two (nine and 12), I am constantly dismayed at the dross that is broadcast to youngsters these days. They are bombarded with inane cartoons and rubbish from the United States. Grange Hill was a great programme, way ahead of its time for many years. Given the current attitude at the BBC, I doubt we will ever see its like again.”