Former head of Universities Wales has said she supports an increase in tuition fees

The former head of Universities Wales has said she supports increasing Welsh tuition fees.

Professor Elizabeth Treasure, who recently retired as the Vice-Chancellor of Aberystwyth University believes fees should be increased by £250 to match the £9,250 fees charged by English universities.

In an interview for ITV Wales’s political programme, Sharp End, Professor Treasure said it’s been a “tough time for universities”. She also argued that the current system is “broken”, as the cost of living crisis means that the amount students are paying is “working against the background of an economy that is not growing”.

Recently, the Welsh Government proposed a rise in university tuition in Wales from £9,000 to £9,250 per year in its draft budget narrative, which would bring fees in line with England. Professor Treasure says she supports these changes as fees haven’t increased since 2011-2012.

She added: “The £9,000 fee is now worth around £5,000.”

ITV News also reported that Professor Treasure has accused the government of not making up for the loss of EU funding due to Brexit, saying: “We need to see the amount of money Wales is really entitled to.”

Although, despite Professor Treasures’ support for this increase in fees, she understands that “it won’t solve all the problems” faced by staff and students at Welsh universities, but it will help make a difference.

She said: “I think over the next two to three years we’re going to have to look at how we fund universities and I don’t think there’s an easy answer.”

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