Recent figures show that university applications have fallen further as a result of the rise in fees commanded by the government which came into effect last year.
There has been a drop in applications of more than six per cent, with less than a month to go until the deadline for 2013, suggesting that we are set to see a second sizeable fall in applications since the introduction of £9,000-a-year fees. Whilst the fee hike is clearly having an effect on prospective students across the board, perhaps most worrying is the number of white working-class males who are applying to university. UCAS figures for last autumn show a drop of 22,000 applications from this category, whilst the decrease in entry rate for men in general was four times larger than that of women.
This is a difficult statistic to believe, but unfortunately, it is the truth. Money is putting men off higher education and forcing them down a different path, and with a U-turn on higher fees simply not an option, it is clear that something must be done to counter this sharp fall.
All the statistics show that girls tend to fare better than boys in education, but that the gap closes as we grow older. University is a time at which men should come into their own in terms of education – the more independent approach suits us more than the spoon-feeding methods you get in schools, yet so many clearly now feel that they are not being given the chance to experience this.
Even in today’s world, there is still pressure on men to earn more money than women. Whilst the stereotype of a stay-at-home mum cooking and cleaning as her husband goes to work to earn the cash is no longer the norm, and women are embarking upon the careers they should there is still huge pressure on men to be breadwinners and provide for a family. This is the case even from a young age; it is part of a man’s thinking long before this family even exists.
The first thing that must be addressed is the way many people see student debt. It is not debt in the traditional sense and does not hang over you in the same way. A better way to see it is as a tax, a small monthly fee that you pay for the heightened opportunities a university degree buys you, and one that you do not begin to pay until you are earning decent money. Whilst the idea of having close to £30,000 of tuition fees alone to repay is a daunting one for any prospective student, it is an investment in your future, one that, with the right attitude, will pay off.
Since the government made the decision to raise fees, it is their responsibility that young people are properly informed about how they will pay for university. The true nature of a student loan, all the ins and outs, should be taught to and understood by every applicant without fail. Secondly, the benefit of going to university is something that should be taught in all schools, and there must also be increased university representation within schools. Better bonds must be built between secondary and higher education; we need stronger partnerships so that university feels more like a natural progression than a drastic change.
Thirdly, schools need more male teachers – boys feel that female teachers will mark them more harshly and this takes effect on their effort levels. We all know that a pupil’s attitude to education is something that is very dependent on their teachers, and if boys have teachers they can connect with they are more likely to enjoy, and therefore want to pursue education. Universities meanwhile need to be more open about who and what they want, and more places must be provided to give people the opportunity to study.
There is no simple answer to this issue, but Britain has always been a country which has been built on the back of its working class men. We cannot let this rise in fees exclude them from our future.