If higher education had comprehensive coverage like state schools, arguments for taxpayer funding could triumph
England recently hit Tony Blair’s 50% target for the proportion of the population experiencing higher education by the age of 30. Since Blair introduced tuition fees in 1998, the student loan system and the removal of state control over the number of places have provided room for university expansion.
It’s a cause for celebration. And yet, despite decades of growth, the UK continues to send a smaller proportion of young people on to higher education than many other countries. In New Zealand, nine out of 10 people enter tertiary education – and the New Zealand government is in the process of abolishing university fees.
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