PARENTS are being forced to remortgage their homes in order to pay for their sons’ and daughters’ tuition fees.
‘My Home Move’ analysed figures which show that 57% of remortgage cases in 2016 were capital raising. This suggests that homeowners wanted to release equity for home improvements, to consolidate debt or to help with their children’s university fees.
Savannah Sevenzo, Undergraduate Education Officer, Sussex Students Union, said: ‘I think it is terrible that parents are in a situation where they remortgage their homes to pay for their children’s education.
‘This is the marketisation of education and it is going to lead to a worse quality of education but also an unjust one. I think that education is a human right and it is something that must be accessible to everyone. We cannot get a genuine education that includes the full spectrum of everyone’s experiences.
‘The fees target working class students, they exclude them from accessing university education and it is making the whole system a privilege for the elite. Students and lecturers must come out and organise action together. Not just strike action. I would advocate any direct action necessary with collaboration of lecturers and students and staff. I would support an occupation of university buildings if that is going to take us towards the goal of achieving free education. We are part of the NSS National Student Survey boycott which is supported by the NUS and the UCU.’
Tatiana Bergin, Southampton Young Socialists Students Society, said: ‘Now not only working class families are being hit by tuition fees but the middle class families who have mortgages are being hit as well.
‘Their children are not eligible for a maintenance loan because your parents have to earn under a certain amount a year to be eligible for a student loan to cover your living costs. Students’ futures are based on their parents’ income, it puts students from a working class and middle class at a disadvantage.
‘My parents had to pay for my first year’s accommodation – £4,000 because I could not get a loan. We want to get rid of this government to allow all students to gain fair access to education. Education must be free.’
