Sir – Most of your correspondents who have written in about tuition fees surely cannot actually have read the Browne report or the coalition Government’s plans. The present higher education (HE) funding system is both economically unsustainable and profoundly unfair.
When I started my undergraduate first year 34 years ago, 12 per cent of people participated in HE.
Now it is nearly 45 per cent. So 88 per cent of taxpayers supported 12 per cent, a situation that was pretty morally indefensible even though I then spent many years as a teacher in challenging inner-city schools.
Nowadays, the situation is completely different. Nearly half of the British people subsidises the other half. The subsidised half includes people who will become extremely high earners. But the situation now is even worse than 34 years ago. Many low paid workers have since been pulled into the tax system. This is monstrously unfair and immoral.
The coalition plans are fairer than the present system since: It provides sustainable funding so we can have world-class universities; 25 per cent-plus of students will be better off than at present and will pay back less; The £21,000 start point for pay-back is higher than now and surely not unreasonable; High earners will not be able to pay off their fees in one go, so supporting lower earners.
Francis Lankester, Worcester city councillor
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