Protests

Today in London was a protest addressing the issues of the fee rises that the coalition government is proposing. The fee rise may be a good idea, because there are a lot of people at university who are only there because it is the easy choice, it is the next step and they can deal with the financial burden. In 3rd year we now have a lot of people who do not want to be there, and this is frustrating, as yes everyone has a right to education but only if they want it. There is a huge issue with people just going to university because it is the 'done thing'. This annoys me, because people should be able to think for themselves, weigh up the options and whether it is what they really want and not just do a degree for the sake of it, because it is what everyone else is doing.
When I took my degree I made sure it was what I wanted, whether it would give me good career options and challenge me academically and also I made sure I could afford it.
These protests turned violent and for me, it upsets me and makes me ashamed to be a student. Violent protests get us nowhere, and what would be interesting to see, if all 30,000 of those people who turned up, voted. If they did, good, if they didn't I don't see the point of protesting. You have to make the point through the means you are given, through the representative government we have.
For me this isn't an issue with fees however, it is an issue with the degree itself. Labour did a good thing in broadening the amount of people who could go to university and get a further education for those who were capable but couldn't afford it otherwise. Now it is seen as the done thing, most students go on to do a-levels and then degrees. The degree however is not a necessity and has been put on this pedestal that it is a commodity needed in the job market. It is not. This is the key issue, there are things such as business,  graphic design, entrepreneurship etc etc that could be taught in house, with things such as apprenticeships. But alternatives to the degree are looked down upon and they shouldn't be. If you want to do something like nursing, for example, surely it would be best to do that in a hospital not in a university? Business, surely it would be better to work up the ranks, get to know what it's like to work for a business, to work as part of a whole team, and how the whole thing works in practice not in theory.

There are many examples, yes certain things should be taught at university, sciences, languages, economics, some social sciences, medicine, dentistry. But not everyone NEEDS a degree. If we could get over this and accept that alternatives may be better than getting a degree, like apprenticeships, and give them the same academic clout and weighting as degrees then maybe we would not have such an issue with fees. Fees need to rise as there are too many people at university, and whilst it is great that everyone has this opportunity, there are a lot of people who just stick out the 3 years as they feel it is what they are supposed to do, which is not the point of the degree. Degrees you should be passionate about not just do them because everyone else is.

Maybe when these misconceptions and labels associated with higher and further education are challenged, the issue of fee rises may become obsolete. People need to think for themselves and not just do things because everyone else is, or because the government said so, or these statistics said this. It is a personal choice.

The protests just make this more clear, they have had a clear goal to stop the fee rises. Violence has broken out, extra police, funding to fix the building that was broken into, where is that money coming from - the government. Oh...
Signs such as "F**K FEES" were seen, well that's not the articulate argument that should be presented. As students we should work with the system to bring it down and not resort to these extremist ways. Or at the very least we could be less rude and more witty than "F**K FEES". I completely understand why they are protesting, as there is a huge risk that lower middle and working classes will not go to university, or even apply due to fear of debt. This has always been a fear though. For me, if I was capable enough and had the drive, I'd work before uni, I'd save, I'd figure it out so I could go, because I am from a working class family and I know what it is like to struggle for money for university. If I wanted it that bad, I'd do it. In all reality, if you want it that bad, you deserve to go to university.

This is a sensitive topic I know as some people feel the system may be elitist, which is a great fear of mine. The system is wrong though, the political and the educational one, it is transmitting values about university and degrees that it shouldn't be and we should be using the tools we have to break these from the inside out. Running for election, VOTING!, writing to local MP's, writing to who ever you can, but these protests always end up violent, and because of that fact, they are shooting themselves in the foot.

I guess the good thing from this, is that at least people are getting angry and getting upset with the government. Since protests seem to have lost their power, post poll-tax protests. Anti-war efforts etc, failed and if this does, it will show this further. I guess the thing is though, as angry as people are, should violence be the way to show this? Protests clearly show a disagreement with the government however, should this not be changed through fully informing the public about the voting system about parties and ideologies. If we teach people about the parties and the system, people can vote in masses to bring it down and to change it, and to know what they are actually voting for. It may be a case of political education which may change this, but violence is not the answer for these types of things, it just lessens the clout that the cause has.

Just some food for thought about todays events. This is all my opinion so take it as what you will.

x