Cash to tackle student drop-outs

Yes I know this will start another English/Scottish fracas but, who is supplying the extra funding? The Scottish universities are already undercutting the English Universities on tuition fees so why do they have high drop,out rates?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/6477827.stm

Time for all British Universities to be put on an equal footing.

 

It's probably being funded by the Scottish Parliament.

No doubt Maxi will suggest that the English will be to blame for allowing it to happen and, to be honest, I can see his point!

Perhaps we should be asking why English Unis aren't doing this (and NHS prescriptions etc) rather than asking why Scottish institutions are?

In other words, start giving our MPs a good kicking - however, until we get rid of our "dyed in the wool" Labour/Tory supporter mentality and start looking at what individual MPs stand for, the system will never change.

 

I think to answer TDs question, "why aren't English Unis doing this?", I think the answer is quite simple.

We, the English tax payer, are subsidising the Scots so of course they can under cut us - we give them the bloody money to do it. If we kept it and ploughed it into our own (English) resources and let them have the devolvement they seek (therefore devolve the budgeting to them also) we would probably be a lot better off this side of the border.

 

Indeed. The sooner Scotland gets independance, the better for all it would seem.

 

Could not agree more.

FREEDOM!!

EX URNU WEO.

And FRISP !!

 

Anyone calls me a FRISP
You will hear from my Lawyers.

I was called that all my career ! (And proud of it)

Got to be a few bob in it for mental trauma !! and compensation.

 

A. What is a FRISP?

B. Slim, something else is that I think Scottish courses are 4 years long not like the thre in England and therefore they are getting free tuition fees for 4/3 mor time than the English pay them............

 

A FRISP is F***ing Right IGnorant Scottish Pig.

A Scots mate of mine used to use it to describe himself all the time. Along with a Glaswegian expression Chuktah (peasant).

It seems that our government in its wisdom have given the Scots and Welsh a large pot of cash to use as they wish. What have they given to the English?
Congestion charges in London & Durham.

 

Are you sure about that Slim, wouldn't have thought enough people would have wanted to go the Durham to make it pay :shock:

 

The congestion charges are only in the city centre, and I believe only a certain area.
Durham great place lots of history, great architecture. I was born in teh county but now live in Berkshire. (wouldn't go back though)

 

Or how about the opposite, abolish the Scottish Parliament and all "regional" governments in favour of a single UK government. Far cheaper & more rational.

 

Not at all Dunkers. Were always hearing the English moan that the Scots are a complete dead leg to them, so fine, lets have complete independance. A total severing of ties. Border controls, the lot.

That way, the English get what they want. As do the growing majority up here who are getting awfully sick of being labelled 'subsidy junkies' based on frankly skewed figures.

So lets have it. That way we all get what we want.

Deal?

 

ARE YOU MAD - THOSE FUGGIN 1/2 WITS CAN'T EVEN HANDLE THE POWER THEY'VE GOT AND YOU WANT THEM TO HAVE MORE?

And Slim

"Chuktah" - Its actually spelt TEUCHTER and see defintion below...

TEUCHTER , n. A term of disparagement or contempt used in Central Scotland for a Highlander, esp. one speaking Gaelic, or anyone from the North, an uncouth, countrified person (Cai., e. and wm.Sc. 1972), jocularly also applied to animals.

... :lol:

 

Many thanks for correcting my spelling . As with my Chinese words I tend to use Pinyin (English versions of Chinese language spelt in the way a word is pronounced) when writing in the Frisp vernacular :razz: . Nice to know its a real word though and not just slang. :wink:

 

I suspect it has got something to do with the 4 year course. Yes we don't pay fees but they have another charge known as the 'Graduate Endowmwnt' instead, so it is not all a give away, and any way it's our money to choose how we spend it. I think the reason for the different format is it makes giving freebies for 'deserving' cases easier.

Personally I think the NuLabor concept of University fees is fundamentally wrong and flawed, and top up fees even more so.

PS now that I am over 60 I have a very nice 'Bus Pass' which gives me free travel on any scheduled bus service in Scotland, great for commuting to work.

 

Yes, open the education system to the free market and have less of the government interference.

That would cull the pointless degrees.

 

Fees or their lack of them would have no impact on the 'pointless' degrees, they are far more the result of the concept that university has little to do with real life at all.

 

Many left school (myself included) in the 60s with few or no qualifications. Employers didn't expect them for many jobs and this even included apprenticeships. Todays employers are advertising vacancies and insisting that the applicant has a degree. In many cases the job advertised could be done by a trained monkey.
Is it time to turn the clock back, offer employers tax breaks for every apprentice they train. This could even be conditional on the apprentice attaining the relevant qualifications on completion.
This just may stop some youngsters wasting their time and money studying for 3 to 4 years for a degree which they will never utilise.
We need to educate employers as well as youngsters

 

Whilst I would in general concur that there has been a real requirement creep in employemt qualifications, one must of course remember that todays HR professionals have been part of that system. In part I think it is due to the fact the comprehensive system has actually failed the very children it was supposed to benefit, ie the less able who are now stuck in an inapropriate academic system till they are 16, by which time they have become bored ill educated chavs. We need to see more trade based education taking place withn the comprehensive system so that school is seen to have a value for those who are not as academically gifted as others. Unless this is properly tackled now the raising of the school leaving age to 18 will result in total disater.

 

Its amazing Peter but I'm with you on this one.
Non academically talented kids should have been identified by the time they reach their teens. Many of them see it as a waste of their time trying to cope with subjects beyond their scope and so drop out, misbehave or both. This country has a skills shortage, lets educate these kids as artisans. I think this would also help with some of the behavioural problems.