Originally published in the North Norfolk News, August 2008. Lightly proofread from the surviving column copy, with routine sign-offs or unrelated asides trimmed. The views, figures and circumstances are those of the period.
When I finished college a year ago I had the belief that I would be able to put my education behind me, get out into the working world, and become one of the few teenagers in the UK who is working without a debt.
I now realise that this was rather naïve of me to think that in today’s society, despite having some experience in the media industry, a teenager is much less likely to be picked over a student graduate to get a job.
So at the beginning of the year I made the decision to apply for university, and potentially face a financial debt for the rest of my life.
There are plenty of horror stories every year about students who are up to their neck in debt, and this has always been one of my fears of university.
But what did provide food for thought was an article in the News’ sister newspaper – the Eastern Daily Press – which reported on the implications for parents too.
While some parents are wealthy enough to give their children some money to pay towards tuition fees and accommodation, others have been saving cash since day one for their children’s future. But a growing amount of struggling parents are now turning to re-mortgaging their homes or digging into their pension to help pay for the higher education.
At least 36 pc of parents interviewed by the Norwich Union would be unable to contribute any money to university fees, whilst 46 pc of parents had encouraged their children to stay at home and study part time. Meanwhile 75 pc called for the tuition fees to be entirely abolished.
I think the figures speak for themselves.
Students are landing themselves in debts of over £22,000 at university and what for? An education that they require to get a decent job… an education that once came free under the taxes we paid.
Even with a government handout of approximately £2,385 a year for families that have a low income, it does not equate to the cost of tuition fees that now cost £3,145. This figure continues to rise. Moreover, these are the parents with the low income, and certainly won’t be able to give their offspring a handout.
Any student from north Norfolk would be faced with further charges too if they wanted to live at home. Those who travel to the University of East Anglia or the Norwich University College of Arts would be faced with public transport fares of £5 a day, purely because car park space is scarce and the council offer no concessions.
There is no summer job that could prepare you for these sorts of costs.
When Tony Blair came to power in 1997 his motto was ‘education, education, education’. Just ten years down the line and Labour’s policies seem to be anything but that.
Now that the state of the economy is taking a turn for the worse, I predict the future working class will be ridden with further debts, and parents will be have no choice but to save for their children’s education just like in America.
Future parents, you have now been warned…