ES Views: Going to uni should not be overshadowed by debt

It is good to see more students are getting top A-level results [“Now boys are top of the class at A-levels”, August 17]. Hopefully this will increase the numbers going on to university from disadvantaged backgrounds.

However, it is a disgrace that those whose parents cannot afford to pay the tuition fees and who can no longer claim maintenance grants will graduate with a huge debt as a result.

In Scotland, higher education is free to all Scottish students and those from the EU but excludes students from the rest of the UK.

University education should be available to all who make the grades and should not come with a huge burden of debt.

Ken Hayes

Nick Timothy, the Prime Minister’s former chief of staff, says university tuition fees are a pointless Ponzi scheme and the system needs reform. Isn’t he a little bit late to the debate?

There have been splits and debates within parties about this since 1993, and the Liberal Democrats have been smashed to pieces over these issues. Their members have consistently voted for free university education and then latterly a cap on fees but have been ignored by their leaders who abandoned the policy of free university education in every coalition negotiation.

Lib-Dem members have seen first hand the consequences that enormous student debt has on society and our young people. Their candidates are now in the ridiculous position of having to defend their leaders’ past actions for 25 years, actions with which they never agreed.

Nigel F Boddy

In his article, with which I mostly concur, Tony Little states “that an obsession with measuring intellectual achievement at the expense of a truly holistic education is ... a recent phenomenon ... over the past quarter of a century” [Comment, August 17]. This is nonsense, given that I can remember it being worse than this 53 years ago.

John Shepherd

It was so good to see Malala Yousafzai smiling on the front page of the Evening Standard after getting into Oxford University. It is inspiring that education can offer such hope to children and Malala’s education has given her a voice in the world, using it to speak for those who are not heard.

As we strive for exam results, degrees and the “good” jobs they might bring, let’s work harder at understanding the far greater results of education: the privilege of living in a safe home, of having enough good food and of being surrounded by people who care.

Auriol Bishop

Why wait for Grenfell inquiry?

Waiting for the Grenfell inquiry recommendations before making changes to the buildings will put lives at risk. Had action taken place before, more people could have been saved.

On the days following the tragic events at Grenfell, the press picked up on a crucial report which followed a fire in 2009 at the Lakanal House block in Camberwell, a fire that cost six lives. Had ministers implemented the report that followed that inquest’s recommendations, it could have saved dozens of lives at Grenfell.

The more I looked into the Lakanal incident, the more angry I became and noticed the similarities between the two fires were startling. It is our central Government’s responsibility to act now to ensure swift changes in the law, as well as regulations for building, housing and fire safety. That is why I started my Change.org petition and was thrilled to receive so much support from thousands of people across the country.

Lakanal’s inquest took four years to complete, and its findings seem to be ignored. We cannot afford to wait when we know things can be changed now that can protect people’s lives.
John Tyson

Stop and search is not so misguided

Jeremy Crook is inaccurate with his assertion that because no further action is taken “more than two-thirds of black men are stopped for no reason” [Letters, August 17].

Section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 states that an officer must have “reasonable grounds” for conducting a search. Clarity is provided by the associated Codes of Practice. It is unrealistic to expect that every search will result in stolen property or a prohibited article being found but failure in this respect does not necessarily mean that a person has been searched for no reason.

The causes of knife crime and weapon carrying are complex. Enforcement alone does not provide the solution but once a youth is in possession of a weapon and has formed the intention of using it, only the intervention of a police officer using stop and search can prevent death or injury.
Clifford Baxter

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Spare a thought for sufferers' partners

In response to Chris Wild’s comments on taking mental health more seriously [Letters, August 17], I would like to stress that it is not only the person with mental health issues who suffers but their partners.

In fact, partners often suffer just as much, having to endure mood swings, rejection and extreme and sometimes bizarre behaviour. In some cases, they face being controlled or manipulated by their loved ones threatening to kill themselves. Who do these people turn to? Their lives can be devastated through no fault of their own, whether it is seeing their marriage fall apart or losing their home. These people need support.
Brenda Harmer

I would like to commend Chris Wild for telling us how he suffered from mental health problems. People often disregard mental health as an illness because it is invisible and, unfortunately, many people continue to stay silent. I hope that if more people speak up, we can help them fight their demons.
Nathan Jenkins

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Fans have been short-changed

Instead of selling out Wembley for one of the games of the season, Tottenham Hotspur were only allowed to sell 70,000 tickets for yesterday’s London derby against Chelsea. The Premier League often boasts about being the most-watched league in the world, but what good is that when fans who want to pay to see their team cannot because of safety restrictions?

I am not suggesting the tickets should have been available for general sale. But the match organisers should have found a way to allow a larger contingent of Tottenham or Chelsea fans into Wembley safely.

If there are concerns about fans clashing, why not move the kick-off to an earlier time? The Premier League and the police, I’m afraid, got this horribly wrong.
Ben Nelson

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