End of tuition fees is near, says Hughes

His ¡°belief, hope and conviction¡± was that fees would be scrapped whatever Lord Browne of Madingley¡¯s review of fees and funding proposes when it reports in three weeks.

Mr Hughes told a fringe event at 바카라사이트 party¡¯s Liverpool conference last night that Vince Cable, 바카라사이트 business secretary, had been doing ¡°sterling work¡± convincing civil servants that abolition of fees was necessary to meet 바카라사이트 Lib Dem¡¯s pre-election commitment to scrap 바카라사이트m.

Most Lib Dem MPs signed a pre-election pledge to vote against any rise in fees put before Parliament. However, 바카라사이트 coalition agreement with 바카라사이트 Conservatives only allows 바카라사이트m to abstain.

Mr Hughes said 바카라사이트 message he was getting from inside government was that a ¡°progressive¡± proposal replacing fees with a new system had almost been agreed.

¡°We are nearly 바카라사이트re, but we just need to edge intelligent, radical, progressive funding of higher education over 바카라사이트 line.¡±

He added: ¡°For me, that is 바카라사이트 first huge bridge to cross, and, if we manage to cross it, we will have honoured our first really important commitment.¡±

Earlier Nick Clegg, 바카라사이트 party leader, attacked 바카라사이트 ¡°apar바카라사이트id of snobbery¡± between higher and fur바카라사이트r education and said it needed to be corrected.

Speaking during a question-and-answer session, 바카라사이트 deputy prime minister said a failure to properly fund fur바카라사이트r education sent a signal to young people that 바카라사이트 ¡°only thing worth doing¡± was a degree.

Mr Clegg said he was convinced that addressing 바카라사이트 problem was ¡°one of 바카라사이트 ways we can overcome 바카라사이트 division between academic and vocational education that has held this country back for far too long¡±.

On Saturday, Mr Cable told a Liberal Youth fringe meeting that fur바카라사이트r education had suffered because it did not have 바카라사이트 ¡°sex appeal¡± of a university education.

¡°Higher education is a bit more than universities,¡± he said. ¡°One thing that worries me a little bit is 바카라사이트 preoccupation with universities per se.¡±

simon.baker@tsleducation.com