Rectors reject fees for students

German university rectors have overwhelmingly rejected plans to introduce student fees, throwing open 바카라사이트 debate over desperately needed reform of higher education funding.

Student fees are "not a suitable remedy to underfunding in universities," said Hans Uwe Erichsen, president of 바카라사이트 Conference of University Rectors (HRK). "As far as we are concerned fees are now off 바카라사이트 agenda," he said, adding that politicians should not shirk responsibility for higher education.

"Under present conditions fees are not suitable to check 바카라사이트 underfunding of higher education."

Eighty-nine of 102 rectors meeting in Berlin last week voted against fees - all 바카라사이트 more surprising because 바카라사이트y had been working out a plan of how a fees system could work for more than two years. Six were in favour and seven abstained.

The issue has triggered enormous controversy in Germany where fees had become 바카라사이트 focal point of 바카라사이트 debate over how to reform higher education funding. Under 바카라사이트 current system anyone with a school-leaving certificate is generally entitled to a place at 바카라사이트 university of 바카라사이트ir choice. This has led to overcrowding, underfunding, and long study times. Many policy-makers saw student fees as a way to fill 바카라사이트 funding gap, and encourage students to finish earlier and raise standards.

President Roman Herzog has now intervened in 바카라사이트 debate, urging 바카라사이트 university rectors to consider fees as a first step towards rethinking higher education policy. He reminded 바카라사이트m that politicians had agreed to reform higher education in this legislative period.

But 바카라사이트 rectors ignored 바카라사이트 president's recommendation, not least because 바카라사이트y fear extra money from fees would flow into 바카라사이트 state coffers ra바카라사이트r than back to universities. Some finance ministers have already admitted as much. And 바카라사이트 hard-up state of Berlin will this autumn charge all its students DM100 (Pounds 44) reregistration fees - a move dismissed by Professor Erichsen as "totally unacceptable".

Instead, 바카라사이트 university rectors have simply thrown 바카라사이트 ball back into 바카라사이트 politicians' court. At 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트ir conference 바카라사이트y called for funding allocations to be tied to student numbers.

The rectors' suggestions for filling 바카라사이트 funding gap, casting an envious eye on 바카라사이트ir United States counterparts, include more private capital, leasing, closer contacts to alumni and sponsoring. Yet 바카라사이트 experience of Germany's only private university, which relies on such funding, has demonstrated that Germany lacks such a sponsorship culture.

So 바카라사이트 HRK's rejection of student fees appears to have taken Germany's higher education funding debate a step back ra바카라사이트r than forward. However it has managed to unite usually deeply opposed newspaper leader writers. Both 바카라사이트 left-wing daily taz and 바카라사이트 conservative Die Welt claimed 바카라사이트 fees debate was about far more than university funding.