Vilification of Universities by the right wing press

The right wing press seems determined to divert attention from the Tory-led disastrous policies for the future of higher education. First portraying the student protests as unjustified and gratuitous, now they are widely having a go at Universities that are already planning to raise funds by charging the maximum possible £9000 per annum fees. It’s not surprising that they are planning the maximum fee hike, because the Tories aided by their lib dem lackeys, are cutting the funding to arts and humanities subjects by 100% (in effect privatising those disciplines) and the other subjects by 80%. If they raise the fees to what is planned to be “normal” ie £6000, many of them will face shortfalls which they could only meet by closing the smaller courses and laying off staff and therefore starting to reduce the diversity of subjects and the avenues open to students that want to explore wider range of subjects. So the institutions are looking into the rules and seeking permission to charge the maximum possible.

This is a scenario that the Tory press fail to explain to their readers thus perpetuating the myth that Universities are getting greedy. A large number of them will become a shadow of their former selves under Tory plans and thus reducing university places for a young generation that not only faces 20% unemployment rate, but also the prospect of simultaneously dwindling yet costly University places. Is it any wonder the students and university staff are angry and taking to the streets protesting?