EU commisioner Jan Figèl feels that tuition fees will contribute to more equity in education. His views are strongly opposed by the ESIB, the national unions of students in Europe.

FOTO: Marius Nergård Pettersen

According to Jan Figél, EU commisioner for education, training, culture and multilingualism, tuition fees will not lead to increased socio-economic inequalities. Quite the contrary, they'll ensure a more equal access to higher education, Figèl says. Figèl has chaired the work on a report stating that EU nations in the future will be able to extract tuition fees from their students, as reported by Universitas two weeks ago. However, Figèl points out that the report must not be seen as an absolute demand for tuition fees.

- Rather, the report's a contribution to the EU nation's efforts to improve their higher education systems, Figèl says.

Justin Fenech, chairman of The national unions of students in Europe, ESIB, disagrees strongly with this.

- If you look at Australia and England, statistics show that the numbers of underrepresented groups studying haven't increased since tuition fees were introduced, Fenech suggests.

Fenech feels the report contains several logical fallacies.

- Introducing tuition fees is the only way to increase the quality of higher education recommended by the commision. The report does not mention that Scandinavian nations, among others, offer higher education practically free of charge, and still achieve good results.

Furthermore, Fenech strongly disagrees with notion that tuition fees will result in more efficient students, citing Malta, where Fenech studies, as an example.

- In Malta, the government offers a variety of scholarships and support, something that has created an active student body and low drop-out figures. This isn't the case in nations where universities prepare for tuition fees, Fenech contends.