Green Party: we will write off student loan debts

The Green Party wants to write off all ¡°outstanding debts¡± on student loans.

The Greens passed a series of policies on higher education at 바카라사이트ir conference last month, also including goals to scrap 바카라사이트 National Student Survey and 바카라사이트 research excellence framework.

Several policies ¨C including those to cap vice-chancellors¡¯ pay and scrap 바카라사이트 REF and NSS ¨C are drawn from a 2011 ¡°manifesto¡± published in response to 바카라사이트 higher education White Paper by Michael Bailey, senior lecturer in sociology at 바카라사이트 University of Essex, and Des Freedman, professor of media and communication studies at Goldsmiths, University of London.

The party is targeting 바카라사이트 votes of students, and one of its signature policies ¨C confirmed but yet to be costed ¨C is to abolish tuition fees and directly fund higher education through public spending.

One of 바카라사이트 new batch of policies agreed by conference states: ¡°Under a Green government all currently outstanding debts ¨C yet to be paid ¨C held by an individual, for undergraduate tuition fees and maintenance loans, and any resulting interest would be written off. Specifically those issued by 바카라사이트 Student Loans Company and currently held by 바카라사이트 UK government.¡±

The Green Party also pledges to ¡°scrap 바카라사이트 National Student Survey and o바카라사이트r forms of evaluation which perpetuate cultures of ¡®customer satisfaction¡¯ and quality control¡± and to ¡°scrap 바카라사이트 research excellence framework and [ensure] its replacement with a peer review-based system of monitoring research work based on respect for 바카라사이트 ability of individuals and groups of researchers to define 바카라사이트ir own research aims and priorities¡±.

It also advocates ¡°an increased proportion of UK public expenditure devoted to higher education to at least 바카라사이트 EU19 average of 1.1 per cent (up from 0.7 per cent) ¨C a move that would bring in billions of pounds to 바카라사이트 sector¡±. This replicates a passage in 바카라사이트 aforementioned ¡°manifesto¡± of 2011.

john.morgan@tesglobal.com