Petition That funding be restored to HEIs and tuition fees abolished

Reforms to Higher Education are damaging, regressive and strike at the heart of our society.

Investment in education bolsters the economy, with a return of almost £3 for every £1 spent. According to a study by Universities UK, the HE Sector alone has generated over £45bn in UK output, whilst providing 2.5% of the jobs in the workforce [1].

The damage to social mobility will be staggering. Tuition fees disproportionally discourage those from poorer backgrounds, as well as female and disabled students, from entering Higher Education [2]. We must widen access, not restrict it.

We, the undersigned, call upon the Government to scrap the reforms to Higher Education; to reinstate public funding to HEIs to a level comparable to pre-2011; and to abolish tuition fees.

[1] http://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/Publications/Documents/economicimpact3.pdf
[2] http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmselect/cmsctech/writev/618/sr07.htm