Students mount a Wall of Debt in Manchester
Robbie | 24.02.2009 00:59 | Education
Students from the Reclaim the Uni group at Manchester built a Wall of Debt last Tuesday 17th February 2009 – as a visual representation of the cost of higher education. Students were asked to write how much debt they were in each brick of the mock wall. In just over hour all the bricks had been filled, with a total of over £2 million being owed by just 140 students who took part. Several individuals owed as much as £35,000 each.
The Wall of Debt at Manchester University
THE WALL OF DEBT
Tuesday 17th February 2009
University of Manchester Students' Union
Organised by members of the Reclaim the Uni and Campaigns Collective groups, students wrote what they will owe at the end of their studies on a 7ft “Wall of Debt”. After just one hour, the mock brick wall was completely covered in figures, signatures and short messages.
Aiming to draw attention to the growing financial burden suffered by those in higher education, the wall was intended as a wake-up call for students and administration alike.
A Government review on Higher Education Funding is scheduled for this year and will decide whether to lift the current £3,145 cap on tuition fees, as demanded by several universities. Such a move would further increase students’ struggles, not just during their courses but also for years to come. One in three graduates is already unable to repay their loan 10 years after finishing their degree.
Politics Masters student Stephen Goodrich said: “Education is a right, not a product. Many, if not all of those sitting in Parliament today did not have to pay fees.
“It is the highest level of cheek for them to lecture us on our responsibilities to pay for education when they did not do it themselves.”
However, at £16,500 the average debt of those on the wall is still £17,500 below the national average calculated by the National Union of Students (NUS) in their “Broke ‘n’ Broken” report.
Many of the activists have asked that the current system of paying upfront to be replaced by progressive taxation. “As graduates earn more over their lifetime we will still be paying our fair share, but without the crippling psychological burden of debt,” said Goodrich.
http://www.student-direct.co.uk/2009/02/students-crushed-under-debt-burden/
==== GENERATION DEBT =====
by Robbie Gillett
Communications Officer
University of Manchester Students' Union
Last week, Reclaim the Uni put up a Wall of Debt on which people could write how much we're in as students. The call for 'Free Education' can still be heard on campuses up and down the country. Some dismiss this as wishful thinking, but the more we delve into the fees debate, the more we see that student debt goes beyond our bank balances, and is changing the very nature of higher education.
The Self Interested Perspective
----------------------------------------------------------
Students graduate with an average of £17,500. From a purely self-interested point of view it makes sense that as well our Students Union and the NUS, we as students should be arguing the case for free education. Like trade unions, students' unions exist, in part, to protect the interests of their members. It would seem that to argue for anything less than free education runs against the purpose of our Union. After all, what sort of union would take a pay cut?
“But there's no such thing as a free lunch”
------------------------------------------------------------
The counter argument states that someone has to pick up the bill for higher education, and since students are likely to get a higher paying job due to their degree, we should make a contribution.
There are several problems with this. Firstly, under a progressive taxation system, whereby the more you earn the more you contribute to the public purse, we will pay for university education. If we get a high earning job, we will pay more tax and pay for our time at university retrospectively.
The marketisation of education
-----------------------------------------------------------
Secondly, fees change the nature of higher education. When we pay for university up front, it becomes a financial investment, complete with the 'risk' that we might not get a good 'return'. Those from more affluent backgrounds are best positioned to take this risk, having the financial security to fall back on their parents if they can't get a job after university, which is a significant consideration in today's economic climate.
As with a lot of free market policies, tuition and top up fees tend to exacerbate existing inequalities in wider society. The evidence bears this out. While the number of students applying to university has increased, the proportion of students applying from lower income and ethnic minority backgrounds has stalled. Hence the often heard slogan, “Education is a right, not a privilege.”
The cultural experience of University
----------------------------------------------------------
Not only does the introduction of fees change what we want to get out of university, it also changes our experience whilst we're here. Students today have less time to engage in 'extracurricular' activities, such as sports , societies, volunteering in the community, cultural and political mobilisation. The number of students who undertook paid work to pay for their studies increased by 54% between 1996 and 2006 according to the Trade Union Congress and NUS. Even more worryingly, the number of full time students working full time also increased by 86% in the same period. (Source: All Work and No Pay(2006))
It is now more than ever that we should rally behind the call for a free education. The NUS (and their New Labour leadership) say that although they may believe in free education, it is “not pragmatic” to fight for it at a national level. Yet asking politicians to “keep the cap” at £3,145 is not only selling us out but future students too. It entrenches the idea that we are happy to pay the current rate, but no more. Instead, we should be challenging the underlying rationale and market forces behind fees themselves.
The Government is conducting a review of higher education later this year. With some vice-chancellors around the country calling for a total lifting of the cap, allowing universities to charge what they want, it is vital that we publicly articulate our criticism of market forces within the education system. The National Student Demo this Wednesday 25th February in London might be a good place to start.
http://studentdemo2009.wordpress.com/
http://www.free-education.org.uk/
Reclaim the Uni demo - April 2008
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/04/397250.html
Reclaim the Uni Facebook group
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=12813621067&ref=ts
Tuesday 17th February 2009
University of Manchester Students' Union
Organised by members of the Reclaim the Uni and Campaigns Collective groups, students wrote what they will owe at the end of their studies on a 7ft “Wall of Debt”. After just one hour, the mock brick wall was completely covered in figures, signatures and short messages.
Aiming to draw attention to the growing financial burden suffered by those in higher education, the wall was intended as a wake-up call for students and administration alike.
A Government review on Higher Education Funding is scheduled for this year and will decide whether to lift the current £3,145 cap on tuition fees, as demanded by several universities. Such a move would further increase students’ struggles, not just during their courses but also for years to come. One in three graduates is already unable to repay their loan 10 years after finishing their degree.
Politics Masters student Stephen Goodrich said: “Education is a right, not a product. Many, if not all of those sitting in Parliament today did not have to pay fees.
“It is the highest level of cheek for them to lecture us on our responsibilities to pay for education when they did not do it themselves.”
However, at £16,500 the average debt of those on the wall is still £17,500 below the national average calculated by the National Union of Students (NUS) in their “Broke ‘n’ Broken” report.
Many of the activists have asked that the current system of paying upfront to be replaced by progressive taxation. “As graduates earn more over their lifetime we will still be paying our fair share, but without the crippling psychological burden of debt,” said Goodrich.
http://www.student-direct.co.uk/2009/02/students-crushed-under-debt-burden/ ==== GENERATION DEBT =====
by Robbie Gillett
Communications Officer
University of Manchester Students' Union
Last week, Reclaim the Uni put up a Wall of Debt on which people could write how much we're in as students. The call for 'Free Education' can still be heard on campuses up and down the country. Some dismiss this as wishful thinking, but the more we delve into the fees debate, the more we see that student debt goes beyond our bank balances, and is changing the very nature of higher education.
The Self Interested Perspective
----------------------------------------------------------
Students graduate with an average of £17,500. From a purely self-interested point of view it makes sense that as well our Students Union and the NUS, we as students should be arguing the case for free education. Like trade unions, students' unions exist, in part, to protect the interests of their members. It would seem that to argue for anything less than free education runs against the purpose of our Union. After all, what sort of union would take a pay cut?
“But there's no such thing as a free lunch”
------------------------------------------------------------
The counter argument states that someone has to pick up the bill for higher education, and since students are likely to get a higher paying job due to their degree, we should make a contribution.
There are several problems with this. Firstly, under a progressive taxation system, whereby the more you earn the more you contribute to the public purse, we will pay for university education. If we get a high earning job, we will pay more tax and pay for our time at university retrospectively.
The marketisation of education
-----------------------------------------------------------
Secondly, fees change the nature of higher education. When we pay for university up front, it becomes a financial investment, complete with the 'risk' that we might not get a good 'return'. Those from more affluent backgrounds are best positioned to take this risk, having the financial security to fall back on their parents if they can't get a job after university, which is a significant consideration in today's economic climate.
As with a lot of free market policies, tuition and top up fees tend to exacerbate existing inequalities in wider society. The evidence bears this out. While the number of students applying to university has increased, the proportion of students applying from lower income and ethnic minority backgrounds has stalled. Hence the often heard slogan, “Education is a right, not a privilege.”
The cultural experience of University
----------------------------------------------------------
Not only does the introduction of fees change what we want to get out of university, it also changes our experience whilst we're here. Students today have less time to engage in 'extracurricular' activities, such as sports , societies, volunteering in the community, cultural and political mobilisation. The number of students who undertook paid work to pay for their studies increased by 54% between 1996 and 2006 according to the Trade Union Congress and NUS. Even more worryingly, the number of full time students working full time also increased by 86% in the same period. (Source: All Work and No Pay(2006))
It is now more than ever that we should rally behind the call for a free education. The NUS (and their New Labour leadership) say that although they may believe in free education, it is “not pragmatic” to fight for it at a national level. Yet asking politicians to “keep the cap” at £3,145 is not only selling us out but future students too. It entrenches the idea that we are happy to pay the current rate, but no more. Instead, we should be challenging the underlying rationale and market forces behind fees themselves.
The Government is conducting a review of higher education later this year. With some vice-chancellors around the country calling for a total lifting of the cap, allowing universities to charge what they want, it is vital that we publicly articulate our criticism of market forces within the education system. The National Student Demo this Wednesday 25th February in London might be a good place to start.
http://studentdemo2009.wordpress.com/ http://www.free-education.org.uk/ Reclaim the Uni demo - April 2008
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/04/397250.html Reclaim the Uni Facebook group
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=12813621067&ref=ts
Robbie
e-mail:
communications@umsu.manchester.ac.uk