Window to the world

I was very lucky today, Dear old Tony our beloved leaded sent me an email, well not just me but everyone who signed the petition about University Tuition Fees, here is his reply

Contributions to the cost of tuition for full-time undergraduates were introduced in 1998, following the 1997 report of the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education chaired by Lord Dearing. The report concluded, and we accepted, that the costs of higher education should be shared more fairly between the State, parents and graduates. The additional revenue produced by tuition fees has enabled improvements in the teaching infrastructure in universities, after a decade of cuts to the unit of funding per student and to retain the international competitiveness of the UK’s higher education sector.

Since tuition fees were introduced in 1998/99, HEFCE’s Access Indicators show that the proportion of young entrants to undergraduate courses who came from the less affluent social classes has increased from 24.7% in 1997/98 to 25.5% in 2001/02, and has held steady at 27.9% since the new socio-economic classification was introduced in 2002/03. Similarly, the proportions from state schools (up from 81.0% to 85.9%) and low participation areas (up from 11.4% to 13.1%) have also risen since 1997/98.

Recently published application figures from UCAS also confirm that applications from young people from less well-off backgrounds have increased slightly in 2006/07, in spite of the introduction of variable tuition fees.

Although in 2006/07 there was a small decrease overall (4.2%) in university entrants from England, this came on the back of a larger than usual increase (8.9%) in those entering last year. Compared to 2004/05, numbers are up by 12,000 or 4.4%. This is as expected, and is what happened when tuition fees were first introduced in 1998. Then, there was a small reduction, after which applications continued upwards. The underlying trend is still up and we are confident that this will continue.

The demand for higher education continues to grow and so does the need to expand the sector. The new student support and bursaries package which we have put in place for this year will maximise the opportunity for continued expansion of higher education, particularly for those from low income backgrounds.

All young people with the academic potential should have the opportunity to benefit from higher education, regardless of their social background and we are committed to removing any barriers in their way. A new non-repayable Maintenance Grant of up to £2,700 a year will be available to students from low income households; and around 50% of students in 2006/07 are expected to get a full or partial Grant.

( http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page11068.asp)

and here are the statistics

First i must say i am disappointed that so few people signed, knowing how many people surf the web, students included, and secondly is this whole site not just Pseudo democracy,

first those with no internet access are disenfranchised, now this si less of the population than it was, Library’s now have computers and all you need is a library card, oh and a bit of savy to set up an email address. then you can sign up to as may petitions as you wish, such as ensure that his E-Petitions rejection team is equipped with a dictionary and/or spell checker ( i must point out this is a rejected petition)

Secondly does this make us lazy and actually help fragment our local communities. I remember fighting with the staff at my FE college (Many years ago) in support of their wage claim, as a college and Student Union we recognised that staff with a living wage were better than staff in indentured labour (that was my language almost 30 years ago) the point is it was not the fight, the cause or the 2 weeks of strike action (which was great for a adolescent at college), it was the community at that college which came together to protest, a commonality which gave some of us a look into the hard world we were going to inhabit, and we made friends. If this had happened through the e petitions then how many of us would have Talked about it, taken it serious, or even got to know each other and our situations.

Look at this petition,

make Philosophy and critical thinking a/the central part of the educational system (from early infancy onwards) alongside Maths, English and Science in order to both raise the abilities of students (as has been demonstrated, see more details) and to aid in solving many issues including those that are currently referred to as pertaining to ‘tolerance’.
On the surface i think yes, but what do i know about how it is being interpreted, by both the petitioner and the government, how can i debate my views, and more importantly how can you change them so that i can sign.

where is the forum for this debate, what is the arguments which have caused the political/Social move to create the petition, and when the dear leader makes his prounanucemt where is the dialogue, where is the democracy, why cant i disagree why do i just have to listen?
Pink Floyd – The Wall – comfortably Numb

“There is no pain you are receding
A distant ship, smoke on the horizon.
You are only coming through in waves.
Your lips move but I can’t hear what you’re saying.
When I was a child
I caught a fleeting glimpse
Out of the corner of my eye.
I turned to look but it was gone
I cannot put my finger on it now
The child is grown,
The dream is gone.
I have become comfortably numb.”

Does it ring any bells yet?