logo
Students would 'bear the brunt' of proposed tuition fee rises

Students would 'bear the brunt' of proposed tuition fee rises

Yahoo09-05-2025

Students in Northern Ireland would "bear the brunt" of a rise in tuition fees of over £1,000, called for by university leaders.
That is according to Ben Friel, the president of the National Union of Students and Union of Students in Ireland (NUS-USI).
Leaders of Northern Ireland's five universities and university colleges have called for student tuition fees to rise by more than £1,000 a year.
They have written to the leaders of the five main political parties asking for tuition fees to rise to £5,831 a year from the current £4,750.
The joint letter is signed by the heads of Queen's University Belfast (QUB), Ulster University (UU) and the Open University in Ireland (OU).
It has been supported by a separate letter from the principals of St Mary's University College and Stranmillis University College.
The leaders' letter said that about a third of young people leave Northern Ireland to study elsewhere "due to the continued Northern Ireland Executive policy on funding".
The letter said there has been a "real-terms loss caused by a legacy of sub-inflationary uplifts" in funding for higher education.
"Applying an inflation increase from a 2021 baseline alone, which part-recovers the hitherto unallocated inflationary uplifts to the current Northern Ireland fee, would see an inflation-corrected fee of £5,831," the letter stated.
It added that the pressure was "compounded by the reduction in international student numbers and associated income".
"Without urgent intervention, the region's skills pipeline, research capacity, and innovation-led growth are at serious risk-undermining productivity and long-term economic recovery," the letter said.
In an accompanying statement to BBC News NI, the leaders urged the Executive "to acknowledge that tuition fees have not kept pace with inflation, and to rectify this position."
Why are university tuition fees going up?
The letter also pointed out that fees in Northern Ireland are lower than those in England and Wales, where students currently pay £9,250. This will go up to £9,535 in the next academic year.
However, students in the Republic of Ireland pay a maximum of €2,000 (£1,695) a year in fees, while Scottish students who remain in Scotland to study do not pay tuition fees.
In Northern Ireland tuition fees have risen from £3,685 a decade ago to £4,750 in 2024/25.
The vast majority of students take out a loan to cover their annual tuition fees and living costs, which they then pay back when they begin working after graduation.
Mr Friel, of the NUS-USI, said the rise in fees called for by the universities meant "asking students to bear the brunt of a broken system".
"It's the fundamental principle of how we fund education and treat it as a country," he told BBC News NI.
"Education is seen as a burden to the budget at the moment, but it needs to be seen as an investment for our future and our young people."
Mr Friel said that students were already facing financial pressures, and skipping meals.
"Nearly one in five students are using a foodbank," he said.
"We can't be putting more burden on students at a time like this."
He said he empathised with some of the universities' concerns about funding.
"They want and need to raise revenues and the only way they have to do that at the minute is off the back of students," he said.
"We can't keep throwing money at a broken system, we're wasting students money, we're wasting public money."
Mr Friel said that any rise in tuition fees could deter students from lower-income backgrounds, especially, from going to university.
He said that while the end of fees should be a "long-term" goal, he was a "realist".
"I know it's not going to happen in the next two, three, four years," he said.
"Long-term I think we should always be aiming for that."
The university letter has gone to the leaders of Sinn Féin, the DUP, UUP, SDLP and Alliance Party.
A tuition fee rise of the amount wanted by the universities would have to be approved by the Stormont Executive.
Higher education is the responsibility of Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald.
The university letter has received support from a number of business leaders, who said "a tipping point" had been reached.
"We believe that it is time for the funding model to be refreshed, so that it continues to reflect Northern Ireland's distinctive needs, protects access for local students, and enhances the region's economic attractiveness to both domestic and global investment," their statement said.
Raising NI tuition fees could generate £98m
Increasing student loan borrowing will 'change lives'

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Scotland's Borders Region Closer to Getting Mountain Biking Innovation Center
Scotland's Borders Region Closer to Getting Mountain Biking Innovation Center

Yahoo

time5 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Scotland's Borders Region Closer to Getting Mountain Biking Innovation Center

Scotland's Borders Region Closer to Getting Mountain Biking Innovation Center originally appeared on BikeMag. The South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE) has announced plans for a Mountain Bike Innovation Center in Innerleithen that could create more than 400 jobs in the Borders region over the next decade. The multi-million pound center will require the razing of a textile mill building that dates 1788–one of Scotland's oldest industrial buildings still standing. Newer buildings had been added to the site over the centuries, and it was last used in 2011 and has been vacant since. The center will offer design and classroom space for UK and international businesses to create and showcase new mountain biking products in the 'heart of the UK's leading mountain biking destination,' SOSE said. It would also work closely with Edinburgh Napier University, which already has a robust mountain biking program. 'This is another important step forward for the Mountain Bike Innovation Centre project,' said SOSE Chair Russel Griggs, OBE. 'If planning permission is received, the new facility will allow high-value jobs to come to the South of Scotland, maximising the value of mountain biking to the area by getting more products and services designed and made here.' The SOSE has submitted a planning application for approval, and if green-lighted, the center could be operating on the site by 2027. Hope to convert the Caerlee Mill into a modern facility evaporated once structural issues and costs were determined to be prohibitive. The building would be demolished and a new center will be built on the grounds once the proposal is approved. The estimated £19 million ($25.6 million) innovation center will see Scottish, UK and international bike companies develop new mountain bikes and products. Funding is coming from the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal, a UK government program that supports economic growth and opportunities. £4 million of that total will be used for the Tweed Valley Adventure Bike Park and Trail Lab. According to the SOSE, the mountain bike innovation center is predicted to create £138 million in gross-value-added revenue and create 400 jobs in the next 10 years. It will also host cycling-related academics and research by Edinburgh Napier University. The university is already active in supporting mountain biking development and health research in the region, and hosts the Mountain Bike Centre Scotland. The university is currently hiring for a Mountain Bike Innovation Centre consultant role to interact with the region's growing mountain biking economy. 'The new Mountain Bike Innovation Centre will offer a host of opportunities to make a positive difference to the Scottish cycling sector,' said Professor Nazira Karodia, Deputy Vice Chancellor at Edinburgh Napier University. 'We are pleased to see this latest step in its journey. Edinburgh Napier University has a strong track record of cycling research, innovation and collaboration, and this facility will significantly enhance our capability in these areas. We will continue to work closely with partners to help deliver a leading centre.' This story was originally reported by BikeMag on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared.

Plans for Loch Lomond Flamingo Land resort stalled
Plans for Loch Lomond Flamingo Land resort stalled

Yahoo

time15 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Plans for Loch Lomond Flamingo Land resort stalled

The Scottish government has stalled plans for a controversial holiday park at Loch Lomond. Ministers had previously been set to give permission for the development, overturning the national park authority which said it did not comply with environmental and nature conservation policies. Theme park operator Flamingo Land believed it would be given the go-ahead to build a £40m resort called Lomond Banks, featuring a waterpark, monorail, hotel and restaurants. The Scottish government's Minister for Public Finance, Ivan McKee, has now said he will recall the plans because "the development raises issues of national significance in view of its potential impact on Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park". He said: "This means that the appeal should be determined at a national level." McKee has previously resisted calls for ministers to intervene in the decision to allow the plans to go forward. Loch Lomond Flamingo Land resort set for approval Loch Lomond Flamingo Land resort rejected by park authority What is happening with Flamingo Land at Loch Lomond? The original proposal sparked protests and was initially rejected last September by Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park authority, who said it did not comply with environmental and nature conservation policies. But that was appealed to the Scottish government reporter, who last month said they intended to grant permission - subject to a legal agreement between Flamingo Land and the park. Government reporters consider the vast majority of appeals, appointed by ministers to make a decision on their behalf. However some of these are "recalled" by ministers who will then make the final decision themselves. When the Scottish government reporter announced in May the intention to back the plans, development director for Lomond Banks Jim Paterson said it was a "real milestone moment" which had been "a long time in the making". But Scottish Greens MSP Ross Greer, who has been a long-standing critic of the plan, said the development would cause "irreversible damage" and the decision was an "anti-democratic outrage". Following Ivan McKee's 's latest announcement, Greer said it was "the right move". He added: "The evidence of the damage it would do to one of Scotland's most iconic locations is overwhelming. "Once ministers consider the flood risk, loss of ancient woodland, hundreds of additional cars which would be brought onto notoriously congested roads and the litany of other devastating impacts it would have, I am sure they will reject the mega-resort application and finally end this decade-long saga." The decision comes ahead of a vote in the Scottish Parliament on the issue, led by Scottish Labour. The party's deputy leader Jackie Baillie welcomed McKee's decision to recall plan, saying: "It shouldn't have taken the fear of a defeat in Parliament to force them to reach this decision. "The SNP has ignored concerns time and time again – from politicians across the chamber and from local campaigners." The Balloch and Haldane Community Council previously said it was "deeply disappointed" in the decision to approve park plans. The group said this "contradicts the expressed will of the community". A spokesperson added: "This is not just a bad planning decision, it is a fundamental failure of democracy and policy. "This decision rides roughshod over the principles of community empowerment, environmental protection, and democratic accountability. Flamingo Land first submitted plans for the site in 2018, but withdrew them the following year after a wave of negative reaction. It submitted updated plans in 2020, insisting the proposal would be a "major step away" from its other resorts, including a theme park and zoo in Yorkshire. But the Loch Lomond park authority board ruled that the updated scheme still conflicted with both regional and national environmental policies. Stuart Pearce, "director of place" for the park authority, previously said the plans created "unacceptable risk" of flooding of the River Leven. More than 174,000 people signed a petition against the project. The Flamingo Land resort in North Yorkshire has been operating since 1959, initially as a zoo. The name comes from a colony of the brightly coloured birds that were among the first animals on the site at Kirby Misperton. By the 1970s, the zoo was losing money, and the attraction was revamped as a "day out" experience with a growing focus on amusement rides. The Yorkshire site continues to have exotic animals, and there is also a large holiday village with static caravans and lodges.

Scots more likely to be crime victims than the English
Scots more likely to be crime victims than the English

Yahoo

time15 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Scots more likely to be crime victims than the English

Scots are more likely to be crime victims than people in England and Wales, according to an official survey that found declining confidence in the police and the SNP's justice system. The SNP government's Scottish crime and justice survey said that that 19.9 per cent of adults were estimated to have experienced at least one crime in 2023-24. This compared with 16.1 per cent of people in England and Wales. The proportion of Scots who had experienced violent crime (2.9 per cent) was more than double the rate south of the border (1.4 per cent). The survey stated that, for the first time, Scotland's 'property and violent crime victimisation' rate (12.1 per cent) was higher than that in England and Wales (10.1 per cent). The proportion of violent crime offenders aged under 16 was 31 per cent, the highest level ever recorded and nearly quadruple the eight per cent figure in 2021-22. The survey also disclosed that only 36 per cent of Scots were confident that the sentences handed out to offenders fitted the crime, down five points compared to 2021-22. More than a third of adults (38 per cent) were not confident in the ability of the police to catch criminals, with a small decline in the number who said the opposite. Angela Constance, the SNP's Justice Secretary, said that total violent and property crime levels had fallen by more than a third since 2008-09, the year after her party came to power. But Liam Kerr, the Scottish Tories' shadow justice secretary, said: 'This damning survey exposes how badly the SNP's soft-touch justice system is failing Scots. 'More people are victims of crime here than in England and Wales, while a growing majority feel that punishments don't fit the crime. 'It is little wonder that law-abiding Scots have lost trust in the system when the SNP continually panders to offenders and leaves victims as an afterthought.' Pauline McNeill, Scottish Labour's justice spokeswoman, said: 'Violent crime is on the rise and increasing levels of property crime leave far too many people feeling unsafe in their own homes. 'Our justice system is stretched to breaking point after years of SNP mismanagement and neglect so it is no surprise public trust is declining.' These findings were based on a survey of 4,973 people aged 16 or over living in private households in Scotland, with interviews conducted between July 2023 and April 2024. It estimated that nearly 1.2 million crimes were committed in Scotland in 2023-24, with fraud and computer misuse accounting for more than two-fifths (44 per cent). Almost half of this category (47 per cent) were bank and credit card fraud. The majority of violent incidents were minor assaults resulting in no or negligible injury (61 per cent), with a further 8 per cent being serious assaults and 5 per cent robberies. It emerged in March that Police Scotland have 'written off' investigating more than 12,000 crimes under a controversial new protocol to cut officer workloads. A pilot scheme was initially launched in the North East of Scotland, whereby some 'minor' crimes were not investigated if they were deemed to require excessive manpower. This protocol was rolled out across Scotland and a report disclosed that 12,017 crime reports had been 'directly filed', meaning they were not fully investigated. Ms Constance said: 'Crime continues to be down significantly over the long term, though the survey does highlight areas of concern and the need for continued action from governments and justice partners. 'While the levels of crime experienced remain similar to the pre-pandemic position in 2019-20, I am keen to understand what has contributed to the rises in crime identified since the 2021-22 survey.' Mark Sutherland, Assistant Chief Constable, said: 'Levels of crime are similar to the period before the pandemic, while estimates that around one in 10 adults experienced fraud and computer misuse underline that policing must continue to respond to changing demands.'The Chief Constable has outlined a vision for policing of safer communities, less crime, and supported victims and we're delivering on those ambitions, including through a dedicated cyber and fraud unit and plans for a strengthened community policing model.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store