St Helena : OT Students to Benefit from Reduced Tuition Fees
Submitted by Saint Helena Herald (Juanita Brock) 22.11.2006 (Article Archived on 06.12.2006)
At the Press Conference at the opening of the Overseas Territories Consultative Council meeting held yesterday in London, 21 November, Mr Bill Rammel, Higher Education Minister, was delighted to announce proposals to enable students from the British Overseas Territories to be treated as home students for fee purposes at institutions in England.
UNIVERSITY TUITION FEES
At the Press Conference at the opening of the Overseas Territories Consultative Council meeting held yesterday in London, 21 November, Mr Bill Rammel, Higher Education Minister, was delighted to announce proposals to enable students from the British Overseas Territories to be treated as home students for fee purposes at institutions in England. Mr Rammel and the Foreign Office Minister Lord Triesman have worked hard on behalf of the Overseas Territories to bring this change to fruition. The DFID Minister, Mr Gareth Thomas welcomed this announcement.
The proposal means that with effect from 2007/2008, students from specified territories will be charged the home fee rate for their further education and undergraduate degree courses at colleges and universities in England.
Mr Rammel said that “this is a long awaited change for the Overseas Territories, which do not have their own higher education provision. It is a move that will help them to improve their self-sufficiency.”
Lord Triesman added, “this will have long-term benefits in terms of self-sufficiency of the Overseas Territories and it fits well with the commitments we gave in the 1999 White Paper on the Overseas Territories.”
Mr Thomas said “this is a significant decision for the future of Overseas Territories. It will help increase the educational options for students from Britain’s remaining overseas territories, and in turn help to boost the long term prosperity of the Territories.”
The change will be implemented through amendments to the UK Education (Fees and Awards) and the Education (Qualifying Courses and Persons) Regulations and implemented in time for the 2007/08 academic year.
This is most welcome news for St Helena as it is a matter SHG have been pursuing for a considerable time. The efforts and perseverance of the FCO Overseas Territories Department and the Department for International Development including in particular, Lord Triesman who was actively engaged with Mr Gareth Thomas in putting the latest case to the Department for Education and Skills, are very much appreciated.
Public Relations/Information Office
Office of the Chief Secretary
22 November 2006
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