Successive Westminster governments have failed young people over “eye-watering” student loan debts in a saga that tells a “tale of two governments”, the SNP has said.
It comes as fresh data, released by the Student Loans Company, reveals the extent of the student debt crisis in England and Wales.
The SNP’s Education spokesperson, Carol Monaghan MP, accused Westminster of saddling young people with extraordinary levels of debt over their decision to implement tuition fees of up to £9,250 a year, meaning that average student debts in England have reached £44,940.
Since 2007, the SNP Scottish Government has continued to provide free tuition fees for Scottish students – which means the average level of student debt in Scotland is three times lower than in England.
Commenting, the SNP’s Education spokesperson, Carol Monaghan MP said:
“Westminster has failed young people by hiking up university tuition fees and landing graduates with eye watering levels of debt.
“Students in Tory-run England and Labour-run Wales have been subjected to broken promises from the Westminster parties who, instead of keeping fees free or low have bumped them up, making it harder for students from the most deprived backgrounds to progress into higher education.
“Students should not have to leave university with a mountain of debt before they have even started work – this is why the SNP Government have continued to provide free tuition fees to Scottish students which means student debt is almost three times lower than in England.
“This is a saga that tells a tale of two governments, one in Westminster which is happy to saddle students with debt just as they’re beginning their careers, and one in Scotland which recognises the benefit of giving young people equal access and opportunities to higher education.
“The SNP will always stand by our commitment to free education, which has left graduates in Scotland thousands of pounds better off as a result.”
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