STUDENTS CRUSHED UNDER DEBT BURDEN

Photo: Mike Kyle

A MOUNTING WALL of debt is looming over Manchester students, who set up a striking display last week to remind University administration of their financial woes.

Over £2m is owed by the 140 students who took part in the campaign, with several individuals owing as much as £35,000 each.

Organised by members of the Reclaim the Uni and Campaigns Collective groups, students wrote what they will owe at the end of their studies on a 7ft “Wall of Debt” last Wednesday. After just one hour, the mock brick wall was completely covered in figures, signatures and short messages.

Aiming to draw attention to the growing financial burden suffered by those in higher education, the wall was intended as a wake-up call for students and administration alike.

A Government review on Higher Education Funding is scheduled for this year and will decide whether to lift the current £3,145 cap on tuition fees, as demanded by several universities. Such a move would further increase students’ struggles, not just during their courses but also for years to come. One in three graduates is already unable to repay their loan 10 years after finishing their degree.

The tuition fee system has also been blamed for encouraging “mass education”. An increasing number of students mean more money for the University, leading to over-subscribed classes, among other things.

Politics Masters student Stephen Goodrich said: “Education is a right, not a product. Many, if not all of those sitting in Parliament today did not have to pay fees.

“It is the highest level of cheek for them to lecture us on our responsibilities to pay for education when they did not do it themselves.”

He added: “They are out of touch with student issues and obviously uninterested in the future of our society.”

However, at £16,500 the average debt of those on the wall is still a grand below the national average calculated by the National Union of Students (NUS) in their “Broke ‘n’ Broken” report.

“Because I’m on a five-year degree and I’m entitled to student loan, I’ll probably have £30,000 including my overdraft,” said second-year Medic Andrew Mockridge. “The last year’s tuition will be paid by the NHS.”

He added: “My parents do not earn highly enough for me to be supported, so I work on top of my Medical degree as a healthcare assistant.”

Unlike many other students, his future career is unlikely to be affected greatly by the economic downturn. “In medicine most people get a job, but you never know with the economy.

“I’m lucky that healthcare hasn’t [been affected] by the credit crunch.”

Many of the activists have asked that the current system be replaced by progressive taxation. “As graduates earn more over their lifetime we will still be paying our fair share, but without the crippling psychological burden of debt,” said Goodrich.

Members of the group were to attend the National Student Demo in London this Wednesday to join in the call for an end to “marketisation of university”.