Britain’s bosses want to charge students more
THE CBI yesterday called for students to pay more towards the cost of university, including increased tuition fees and higher student loan interest rates.
The CBI also called for cuts to grants and said the savings were necessary to tackle the funding crisis in the higher education sector which it said had been thrown into turmoil by the increase in young people going to university. The CBI said the government could save £1.4bn a year.
CBI director general Richard Lambert said: “Savings should come from the student support system.”
The proposals were welcomed by the Tories, whose university spokesman David Willetts said: “They are a good opportunity to bring this whole issue back to life.”
However, the news was taken badly by the National Union of Students (NUS) whose president Wes Streeting said: “I think these people are living on a different planet.”
“At a time of economic crisis… I am astonished that the CBI should be making such offensive recommendations,” he added.