Scrap university tuition fees say Lib Dems

The Liberal Democrat Spring Conference today backed plans to reaffirm the party's opposition to university tuition fees, and voted to extend the policy of free tuition to part time students.

The proposals, which aim to make high quality education and training available to all, include:

• Scrapping tuition fees for first Higher Education degree qualifications
• Fully funding the off-the-job training costs of apprenticeships
• Improving access to Higher Education for under-represented groups
• Reforming the bursary scheme to make it available more fairly across universities

Liberal Democrat Shadow Innovation, Universities and Skills Secretary, Stephen Williams said:

"Bright young people are potentially being put off going to university by the thought of being saddled with £10k in tuition fee debt.

"The Liberal Democrats believe that everyone deserves the chance to develop the skills and knowledge that will give them the best opportunities in life.

"That's why we are committed to scrapping tuition fees for full and part-time students, and improving access to apprenticeships so that everyone can get the best from their education."