University launches attack on top-up fees proposal

The University of Teesside, which prides itself on attracting people from poorer backgrounds, said it was opposed to the concept of variable tuition fees and said costs should be met by taxation.

Its comments came as Newcastle University announced that in principle it will charge students the maximum of £3,000 each year from 2006, if Parliament passes its controversial Bill on top-up fees.

None of the region's other universities, Northumbria, Durham, Teesside or York, have agreed a figure and are unlikely to do so until they have seen the Bill.

At the moment students pay up to £1,125 each year for tuition fees. Under Government plans they would not start repayments until they were earning £15,000 a year.

The proposals would allow universities - many of which claim to be dramatically underfunded - to charge up to £3,000 each year at their discretion.

University of Teesside spokesman Nic Mitchell said: "In our discussions with MPs and other people we have been urging them not to do anything in the new legislation which would act as a disincentive to students.

"We said we were against top-up fees in principle and we remain opposed in principle to variable top-up fees.

"We will be looking with interest at the Bill when it is published to see if the Government has taken our comments into consideration."

Students' Unions last night criticised Newcastle's move.

Scilla Monck, communications officer for Newcastle University, said students would start working life saddled with a mountain of debt.

Newcastle University student Clare Richardson, 20, of Melsonby, North Yorkshire, said: "The Government says it is trying to get more people into higher education but introducing Bills like this is going to put people off."

Durham University Students Union president Craig Jones said: "When you put a market into higher education the idea of learning goes out of the window and instead we are doing it on the basis of whether we can afford it or not."