Scotland's uni funding system faces legal challenge

[paddyhasneeds]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-14607122

Whilst I think claiming it breaches human rights is a bit of a stretch, I hope this chap wins simply because it's one fked up system that means that our taxes help contribute to a Scottish system that lets a student from anywhere in the EU study there for free, whilst one from the UK is made to pay.

[Eric Mc]

How have they wangled this piece of warped regulation?

It seems rather spiteful to me.

[davepoth]

Eric Mc said:

How have they wangled this piece of warped regulation?

It seems rather spiteful to me.

It was wrangled through the use of EU Human Rights legistlation, amusingly. We are not allowed to discriminate against the citizens of another EU nation. However under that bit of law there is no similar protection for citizens of our own nation.

[RemainAllHoof]

About time someone used the human rights bullst for something positive.

[Eric Mc]

RemainAllHoof said:

About time someone used the human rights bullst for something positive.

It's positive if you're French.

I wonder do they apply this distinction for students from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland i.e. Irish Republic students are eligible for free education but Northern Ireland students are not.

How do they handle Welsh students?

Or do they only discriminate against the English?

[anonymous-user]

So discrimination on national grounds is not allowed but regional discrimination is. It would be like a university in Berlin charging students from Bavaria more than locals, I guess.

[Eric Mc]

Apparently it's based on where the student lives - not their nationality.

Their legal argument being that there is only one nationality, British.

Still seems discriminatory to me - but then we have all sorts of discrimination on those geographical criteria - in England as well.

[fatandwheezing]

I remember a few months ago when the increased fees were being considered, the origin of the scottish fee system was mentioned, and it was claimed it was the English universities who had actually been responsible for the English students paying in Scotland.

This could be boswellox and I can't find any reference to it, but it was unchallenged on whatever programme I saw it on.

[MartyPubes]

fatandwheezing said:

I remember a few months ago when the increased fees were being considered, the origin of the scottish fee system was mentioned, and it was claimed it was the English universities who had actually been responsible for the English students paying in Scotland.

English universities are responsible for English students getting charged in Scotland? Sorry, I don't understand?

[davepoth]

MartyPubes said:

English universities are responsible for English students getting charged in Scotland? Sorry, I don't understand?

Possibly they informed the Scottish government that they wouldn't fund Scottish students in England.

[tvradict]

MartyPubes said:

English universities are responsible for English students getting charged in Scotland? Sorry, I don't understand?

Its to do with stopping all English students running to Scotland to study for free, if they have to pay in Scotland as well, there is no real benefit, and the English Uni's still make money.

[jshell]

It's not discrimination, Scotland gets a budget, Scotland decides how to spend budget. Why would Scotland use Scotland's budget to educate English students?

[davepoth]

jshell said:

It's not discrimination, Scotland gets a budget, Scotland decides how to spend budget. Why would Scotland use Scotland's budget to educate English students?

Mainly because under the rules Scotland uses its budget to educate students from Latvia, Germany, Austria, Portugal, Greece, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Belgium, and every other country of the EU for free except England. A little unfair perhaps.

[paddyhasneeds]

jshell said:

It's not discrimination, Scotland gets a budget, Scotland decides how to spend budget. Why would Scotland use Scotland's budget to educate English students?

Why would Scotland use Scotland's budget to educate French or Polish students?

[jshell]

davepoth said:

jshell said:

It's not discrimination, Scotland gets a budget, Scotland decides how to spend budget. Why would Scotland use Scotland's budget to educate English students?

Mainly because under the rules Scotland uses its budget to educate students from Latvia, Germany, Austria, Portugal, Greece, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Belgium, and every other country of the EU for free except England. A little unfair perhaps.

Source?

[paddyhasneeds]

jshell said:

Source?

Here you go http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/jan/13/eu...

[davepoth]

paddyhasneeds said:

Here you go http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/jan/13/eu...

Thank you sir.

[MartyPubes]

tvradict said:

MartyPubes said:

English universities are responsible for English students getting charged in Scotland? Sorry, I don't understand?

Its to do with stopping all English students running to Scotland to study for free, if they have to pay in Scotland as well, there is no real benefit, and the English Uni's still make money.

Ah, so it's to do with English universities applying pressure, rather than the suggestion they had some direct role to play. Thanks (genuinely) for clearing that up.

[Johnnytheboy]

Can you imagine how much the Scots would whinge if this situation was reversed (i.e. Scots had to pay when the English got something free)? My god, we'd never hear the end of it.

[fatandwheezing]

Johnnytheboy said:

Can you imagine how much the Scots would whinge if this situation was reversed (i.e. Scots had to pay when the English got something free)? My god, we'd never hear the end of it.

Whereas we've definitely heard the end of it with the situation as it is??