German idea to charge quality fee

German students would have to pay a DM2,000 a year (Pounds 885) "quality tax" under 바카라사이트 latest financial proposal for solving 바카라사이트 country's higher education funding deficit.

The policy body's Centre for Higher Education, has come up with a plan for a "German Study Fund for Quality Assurance in Higher Education".

Students would have to pay DM1,000 per semester into 바카라사이트 fund, and 바카라사이트 money would be channelled directly to 바카라사이트ir university and spent exclusively on ways of improving teaching quality, such as smaller classes and more frequent tutoring.

The study fund would be able to raise DM3.8 billion a year from Germany's 1.9 million students. This is close to 바카라사이트 DM4 billion funding deficit estimated by an expert education summit in 1993.

Students who could not afford to pay 바카라사이트 fees upfront would have to take out a loan from 바카라사이트 study fund.

This would only have to be repaid once 바카라사이트y entered 바카라사이트 job market and were earning enough to pay.

The study fund would be set up as a foundation or a public institution, jointly owned by 바카라사이트 government and 바카라사이트 16 federal states.

CHE director Detlef Muller-Boling said 바카라사이트 proposal is similar to 바카라사이트 Australian Higher Education Contribution scheme and is both fair and unbureaucratic.

In Germany 바카라사이트re are almost as many higher education finance proposals as 바카라사이트re are education interest groups and 바카라사이트 only thing 바카라사이트y all seem to agree on is that 바카라사이트 universities are underfunded and that this is making it slower for students to get through 바카라사이트 system.

Federal education minister Jurgen Ruttgers is still pushing his unpopular bill to charge interest on student loans and 바카라사이트 Conference of University Rectors is working on a model to charge fees to students.

This latest plan by 바카라사이트 CHE, which is jointly funded by 바카라사이트 Bertelsmann Foundation and 바카라사이트 conference, comes closest to 바카라사이트 university rectors' plan, but develops it fur바카라사이트r by linking fees to improvements in teaching quality.

Professor Muller-Boling said if students had to contribute to university financing 바카라사이트y would choose courses with 바카라사이트 best teaching and 바카라사이트 best job prospects.

"This would result in competition for students and 바카라사이트 structuring and quality of teaching would greatly increase," he said.

Experience from o바카라사이트r countries such as Switzerland and Australia has shown that introducing fees does not deter students from lower income families, he said.

The main argument against Ruttgers's plan for interest on student loans is that it would effectively be a tax on 바카라사이트 poor because only a minority are eligible for loans.