Life, as we know it, is over.

I was told if I got a degree in an Arts/Humanities subject from a 'red brick' university that upon graduation, I'd have the world at my feet and a £30k job waiting for me.  I think I must have got off at the wrong stop cos' it's definitely not here.  Ahh fret not, a little bit more hard work, a touch more knocking on doors and probably a whole lot more of unpaid work (fear not I can afford it, pah!) and I'll find my way in the world.  I can't decide who's to blame, what do you think?  The Labour government have just announced plans to cap tuition fees at £6000.  This is still double what I paid.  £9000 I just couldn't understand, and £6000 just doesn't really seem much better.  I can't work out, how they work out, that we'll work out a way to afford such astronomical figures.  That's the royal 'we'. 

I think it catapults Higher Education into an untouchable realm for many; not only in monetary terms.  It casts over the idea of attending university a 'dark shadow of unattainability'; those who have the intellect but not the background and/or bank balance.  It may push out a huge chunk of talent.  And not everyone's talents will be realised in school or in another area of work.  The doctor who finds the cure for cancer may be from a rough estate in *insert the name of somewhere a bit grim* who because of the rise in tuition fees and the connotations this allows, never pursued his/her aptitude for science by applying to study medicine at university.  I'm ignorant as to the loan process in place, but what I do know is that even if it's fan-flippin-tastic, it may not manage to compete with the 'dark shadow of unattainability' which the idea casts over university for some young people. 

When I was at university, and the idea was being discussed, a Dean (of Newcastle University) remarked that he was surprised at all the uproar surrounding discussion of a rise in tuition fees because '£9000 was far less than their parent's will have paid for their school fees'. OH MY.  Firstly, aside from tax and buying my uniform, my secondary education was free.  As was my primary education.  Most likely because my parents weren't in a strong enough financial position to afford to pay for me to be privately educated.  Shit.  I thought that was the case for most of us wasn't it? Foaming doesn't even come close.  Fizzing might come closer. Just how ignorant. And really how rude to disregard those in secondary education as the minority at university level.  I was pretty pissed off.

It's quite sad really.  Blue will be blue though ey.  Good job Red have caught on, a little... perhaps. 

Time for a gin.