With California students and politicians gearing up for another battle over university fee increases, opponents of higher student fees can be glad they do not live in London.
The University of California’s proposed increase of 8 percent is small compared to Great Britain’s attempt to cut the nation’s deficit by raising student fees 200 percent, from 3,000 to 9,000 pounds.
More than 50,000 students and faculty gathered in London last week to protest, with several injuries and dozens of arrests made.
The proposal is part of a larger issue concerning economic philosophies in the United Kingdom and Europe, said Leonard Freedman, a UCLA professor emeritus specializing in British politics.
Britain recently elected more fiscally conservative candidates to Parliament who are less willing to put money into social programs, such as education. This has forced center-oriented politicians in the Liberal Democratic Party to move to the right and make concessions to remain relevant in policy making, Freedman said.
Freedman, who graduated from the University of London after serving in World War II, said he thinks the increase is too drastic.
“These are draconian cuts, and I believe it’s a sad situation,” he said. “Previous governments have increased fees, but this is drastic and will mean many students will not be going to university.”
But these decreases in government funding are necessary if the British public university system hopes to survive, according to a statement released by the British Conservative Party.
The Conservative Party attributes the condition of the public university system to the actions of the left-leaning Labour Party, which previously held the majority in Parliament.
“The Government has announced a change to the existing, out-dated system of tuition fees introduced by the previous Labour Government, revealing a new fairer package for all,” the statement read.
According to the statement, the fee increase will not affect the least wealthy 25 percent of British citizens, and the financial support people are receiving for their education will also not be changed.
The British plight has many parallels to its Californian counterpart, said Susanne Lohmann, a UCLA professor of political science specializing in Western European education.
“In both cases, there are tremendous deficits, and the two ways to eliminate a deficit are cut spending or raise taxes,” Lohmann said.
In addition, there is a growing conflict between the aging baby boomer generation and the youth in industrialized nations.
“The conflict really becomes pronounced when it is the older generation that shows up to vote, because then the majority of people elected only represent this one demographic,” she said.
The measures to cut spending on education in California and the U.K. put both university systems at risk, said Claudia Magana, a third-year political science and sociology student at UC Santa Cruz and president of the University of California Student Association, which represents students’ interests in the UC system.
“I see the situation in London and in California as very similar,” she said. “The growing price on education is really demolishing the public university system, and if a real solution isn’t found, we will have students who can’t afford public universities demonstrating the kind of violence that has erupted in the U.K.”
Instead of simply increasing fees, Magana said California needs to find alternative means of educating its citizens.
“After five years of conversations and meetings behind closed doors, I haven’t seen any real ideas other than making students pay more,” she said. “Students need to make themselves heard, whether in England or California, and show their lawmakers what their education is worth to them.”