I realised, we cannot look at student loans/debt solely as a national issue, what our government imposes on our students compared with other nations has implications, implications to the detriment of our graduates.

English graduates on average now have the highest loans/debts of any country in the world.  Far poorer countries do not charge tuition fees.

This means overseas graduates working in England will have more disposable income and so a higher standard of living in a like for like job, than our own graduates/children.  Whilst our graduates are paying 9-15% additional tax, for up to 30-40years, overseas graduates won’t be.  I find this morally wrong headed.  Our government should not be economically disadvantaging its own young people, in their own country.  

This is levelling DOWN on a GLOBAL scale.

The same is true for English graduates working abroad, because our tax system is no longer confined by our borders.  Student debt follows English students around the world.

Countries in Europe that do not charge tuition fees (and there are a lot more worldwide):

• ·       Norway
• ·       Sweden
• ·       Germany
• ·       Denmark
• ·       Finland
• ·       Greece

Refer to the Evening Standard article by Beril Naz Hassam, dated 02 May 2023, ‘Which European countries have free universities?’ - https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/countries-with-free-university-europe-study-tuition-fees-b1078311.html

Other countries in Europe are free or have nominal tuition fees depending on the course or in some cases if you speak the home countries language. Refer to a full list: https://www.studyineurope.eu/tuition-fees

English graduates are also disadvantaged in Britain; Scotland has no tuition fees and Wales & NI graduates have far less debt than English graduates on average.

At best this is a conflict of two political ideologies:

a) Students should pay for their own higher education.

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b) England should look after their own graduates and give them an even economic playing field on the world stage.

a)      We know the current ideology does not work, not all graduates benefit from going to university and only a minority pay off the loan in full. A Parliamentary review in 2019 found 45% of loans were not paid back. Meaning billions of pounds accrued over the years falls on general taxation for all of us to pay, graduate or not.  If the Student Loan company was a business it would have gone bankrupt a long time ago.  Furthermore the government brought in parental contributions, or as I call it ‘student loan company subsidy’.  Parents are using savings, cashing in pensions, asking others to help, or even remortgaging to help out their children.  This government’s enforced debt and interest, also robs the economy of billions of pounds of disposable income for goods & services and VAT receipts. Refer to articles written for www.if.org.uk .

b)      The better ideology is for general taxation to pay for all tuition fees. Retain loans at a minimum interest rate, for rent and subsistence.  Allow for a hardship fund, to ensure levelling up for the most deserved.  Ensure our graduates have a least the same disposable income and standard of living as overseas graduates working in England.  More disposable income will also help the economy as a whole.  

Studies have shown the greater the debt, the later people marry, have children and buy a house.  With a birth rate in the country of about 1.6, we very much need the best of the best from around the world, so I am all for Brand Britain encouraging very much needed overseas graduates.  

Student loans/debts is by no means a new subject, however the reasoning in this petition is.

Unlike David Cameron (past PM) and George Osborne (past Chancellor) who preached big society whilst creating a smaller one, for me the choice in ideology is a no-brainer, we need a genuine big society where tuition fees come out of general taxation, and for our children/graduates to not be economically disadvantaged globally.

This petition is for the opposition parties as much or even more than the current government.  The student loan/debt issue needs to be dragged out of the ‘too difficult’ box and resolved.

Undergraduate & postgraduate students, their parents and anyone else concerned about this issue should sign this petition.