Higher Education Fees Speech

Speech by Michael German OBE AM delivered to National Assembly for Wales on Wed 22nd Jun 2005

This is a red-letter day for Welsh students and higher education institutions in Wales, and perhaps I should say that it is a rainbow-coloured-letter day for consensus politics. The motion before us today secures and safeguards the future of higher education in Wales and, most importantly, it clearly sets out that Wales has now joined Scotland in rejecting top-up fees for the benefit of students. I am pleased that the Liberal Democrats have made a difference in both countries.

Our students are already burdened with considerable debts, so much so that there is a real and present danger that young people, particularly from poorer backgrounds, have been put off going to university, and that is wrong. Going to university opens up all sorts of opportunity avenues: it broadens and deepens the mind, and exposes students to new experiences and different ways of thinking. It develops self-confidence and equips graduates with an array of transferable skills. Being at university can enthuse and inspire people to follow paths or interests that they would never have considered before. As Yeats said,

'Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire'.

To erect a financial barrier, particularly for those from less well-off backgrounds goes against all that the Welsh Liberal Democrats believe in. Everyone should have the opportunity to realise their potential, no matter from where they start in life. We believe in enabling students from all backgrounds to attend university, allowing talent and ability the chance to flower. Increased fees threaten to narrow the base of those attending university, when, instead, we should be seeking to widen that base further.

This motion secures a commitment for a national bursary scheme to continue to widen access to higher education in Wales. The rejection of top-up fees, combined with the national bursary scheme, strikes a blow particularly for those from less privileged backgrounds; it strikes a blow for a fairer society. The rejection of top-up fees helps all Welsh students; it means that they will not leave university and embark upon their working lives with that mountain of debt towering over their shoulders and darkening their horizons. Higher education is an entitlement, and that is why it is vital.

Universities are one of the pillars of civic society, helping to instill a sense of social responsibility and fraternity towards the greater community. In that sense, higher education is a good thing in itself, but it also plays a key role in equipping people with the skills to achieve in this fast-paced modern world. Universities are the foundation stone of the knowledge economy. In Wales, skilled workers are at a premium. Wales needs better trained people with high-level skills to help foster a dynamic and competitive future, and it needs more of them. This motion will help to achieve both of those aims.

The motion and the deal that it represents also ensures that our universities will be able to compete on a level playing field with institutions across the UK. It guarantees that our universities will not be disadvantaged and addresses the funding gap, to ensure that Welsh universities get the same core deal as English universities. This is crucial in enabling them to retain and attract high-quality staff and to further teaching and research. We know that a high-quality research base is essential in terms of building an improved knowledge economy.

As was said earlier, part-time students are an essential part of higher education in Wales. I remind all Members that there is still a job of work to be done on this—England did not address this issue and I am pleased that Wales will. That job needs to be done quickly. We need a short-timescale review and we must get a move on and set it up as quickly as possible. That is crucial. Many people in Wales seek to improve themselves through part-time higher education and it is vital that their needs are not forgotten. At the University of Wales, Newport, 68 per cent of the students study part time, and this urgent work on funding and support for them is a key part of this resolution, and must be achieved.

This is a good day for Wales and the future of Wales. With this motion and the deal that it puts forward, the Assembly has defended the right to learn and the right of all Welsh people to realise their potential, no matter what their background.