The death of distance learning?

[tommer9]

Fair point, but I am not sure i see the difference TBH.

[Steve Bullman]

i dont think its reasonable to expect every family to be able to afford to pay for education for their kids right from the start of school. Kids have a choice wether they want to go in to further education and there are goverment loans available to them. whats the issue?

[tommer9]

I agree that kids need educating, but why should it stop at a predetermined age? There are loans, but there is also such a phenomenal pot of money that is wasted on other possibly less worthy causes that subsidising further education seems to me to be sensible, especially as the reality apperas to be that the number of graduates/ people who have taken any form of post school education (as it were) getting jobs is falling, yet the cost of eduaction is rising, or being loaded onto these people with the promise of jobs that just arent there. It seems nonsensical to me.

[Stephen Blair]

So did you guys pay to go to school? Out of your own pockets? Or did you go to state funded schools? PAid for by the taxpayer. The same taxpayer who susidised the now horrifically expensive courses of higher education? Or who are paying for your children to be educated?

My dad paid tax all his working life,

I have paid tax for 20 years as of the 1st of July, I would like to think I am paying towards my kids education. They are not in a position to earn money, someone who is older is, that's how I see it.

[tommer9]

I do actually agree, however I was, as i am sure you know:sneaky2:, playing the devils advocate to some extent, but I dont think that further education should be losing its funding so much, and cause so much debt for people to start out in their careers.

[Stephen Blair]

If it was a career then fair enough, but how many do the course then drop out or never pay back the fees?

Things need paid for, not everyone can be given what they want, that's life.

[tncountryservices]

if you want to do a uni course then surely you are doing to increase your earning potential? if so then you should pay for it, why should the tax payers pay for you to make more money?

 

if i want to increase my earning then i invest in more kit and i don't see the tax payer paying for that!

 

just to add my wife is going to uni to do a degree in nursing next year which we will have to fund.

[tommer9]

Yes that is a problem, and a valid point. Its even more irksome though when those that need it least get it in favour of thoe that need it most. There are mant genuine cases out there of people who would go the distance if given the chance, yet never get that chance because those that are in the strongest financial positions, such as bankers etc get all the money at the expense of keen, hardworking potential candidates who cannot look at the idea of saddling themselves with the kind of debt that further education nowadays will, so decide not to take the loan, and spend their life in dead end jobs, yet could have been a great asset to society and further or improve their personal and their families' posotions in the long run. the majority of society are taking financial and social hits, whilst the elite bask in socially funded comfort and excess.

[difflock]

Might I reply on behalf of the "squeezed middle", who though others differ/have different perceptions of........... pay for bloody everything, twice since they pay for the neer-do-wells as well. Some of these neer-do-wells also appear to attend Uni to study duvet stuffing, or other Micky Mouse courses..... piss it up .....plus protest riot and wreck.......and never intend to repay the loans.

We on the other hand will have to pay over £5,000.00/year for our son to study Engineering for the next 4 year's. incl £5000.00 for his industrial placment year.

A sutdy of our many tax (incl tax on insurance premimums) & National Insurance contributions would indicate that we have paid for this several times over already.

just a thought

M

PS

We achieved being in the "suqeezed middle" by our own efforts, each holding down two jobs each, only running one car between us etc etc , for a God aweful No of years.

We now get to bail out the feckless.

[Stephen Blair]

Maybe I am nieve to how the world is run BUT if I want something I find a way of doing it. Maybe some will get things handed to them on a plate, good for them, I spent 6 months of my life when I was 20 waiting for a promised golden egg that never happened , it taught me a valuable lesson, if u want something then you have to do it yourself.