It’s that time of year when the classes start to settle down and I can see who is likely to succeed and who needs a kick up the proverbial! The trouble is I am talking about young adults who should be taking responsibility for their own futures – I am not their mother, their nursemaid or their boss. I am someone who, from time to time, tries to impart bits of knowledge and inspire them to look further at their chosen subject – you could say I am the supplier of a service. This brings me to the real point of today’s missive...the vexed question of tuition fees and the impact they have on the relationship between tutors and students.
Now I must put up a health warning here, the thoughts expressed are those of the author alone and do not reflect university policy or even the opinion of my colleagues – I have not really talked to them about their views. As ever these words are the ravings of yours truly, fuelled tonight by camomile tea.
I come from the generation who did not face tuition fees but had the luxury of a grant – albeit means tested against parents’ income. I went to a girls’ grammar school and it is important to note that not everyone expected a university education. Only the very best would end up at university, the next tier might go to a polytechnic or teachers training college and others might find themselves training at one of the London teaching hospitals to become a nurse. The idea behind grants was to make it easier for anyone to go to university but it is fair to say it was not easy for the working classes to enjoy the privilege of a university education for a whole range of reasons. Anyway the point is that in those ‘olden days’ the relationship between the higher education establishment and the student was much more like that between school and pupil today. I can remember having to go and see the Principal of my college to seek permission to go home a week early because my Mum was in hospital and my Dad needed me to go home and run the house - the conversation did not go well for reasons of education and feminist ideology, but I did get my week off.
Today the students pay a fee to attend university, it does not cover the full cost of their education, but it is a contribution. This has recently caused some students at universities around the country to question what they are getting for their money – class sizes and contact time being the main issues at some of the bigger establishments. I agree this has changed the relationship to one of customer and supplier but with a big proviso, the fee is not just a monetary one.
What do I mean by that? Well, I think that students pay their fee in a number of parts. The first is the tuition fee we all know about but the other parts are less tangible. I believe the other critical parts of the transaction are to turn up to lectures and listen attentively, prepare for seminars either individually or in the relevant groups and then actively participate, read round the chosen subject according to the texts set and to find interesting material of their own and finally to submit assignments on time and completed to the best of their ability. Only when all parts of the transactions are shown to be being carried out can students start to question what they get for their fees.
Now I must close by saying I am not a fan of tuition fees. I think as a state we should pay to educate the next generation – it does mean that students who do not study would face a heightened risk being ‘slung out’ if they take the piss out of their privileged position, but that is fair enough.
