Tuesday, June 21, 2005
A Welsh solution
The big event today of course was the all-party agreement on a way-forward over variable top-up fees for students. After nearly a month of negotiations all four parties agreed on six basic principles to help Welsh students studying in Wales. These are:
- All Welsh domiciled students will NOT pay top-up fees at universities in Wales
- A commitment by the Labour Assembly Government to address the funding gap between Welsh higher education institutions and others elsewhere in the UK.
- The introduction of a national bursary scheme, including additional incentives to study shortage subjects – such as mathematics and engineering.
- Extra support for higher education through the medium of Welsh
- Commit the assembly government to a scheme helping Welsh students pursuing approved courses not available to Welsh higher education institutions
- Further work on funding and support for part-time students
There are some key issues addressed in these six principles not least the funding gap between Higher Education Institutions in England and Wales and the funding of part-time students. The agreement does not amount to everything that we want but it is a distinctive Welsh solution and a kick in the teeth for the Westminster Labour Government.
