Tomorrow's announcement likely to be a huge let down for students - Randerson

6.37.00pm GMT Tue 17th Mar 2009

If Labour and Plaid change the support on offer to students, they will have betrayed a generation

Speaking ahead of an announcement by the Education Minister on Higher Education Student funding tomorrow, Welsh Lib Dem Shadow Education Minister, Jenny Randerson AM said:

"If the announcement tomorrow shows that the Government will abandon their current level of support for Welsh students then this will be nothing but a betrayal by Labour and Plaid.

"The Welsh Liberal Democrats promised in our last manifesto that we would campaign to maintain the current support through this term and that is what we will continue to do.

"It is clear that Plaid have totally betrayed Welsh students with their about-turn. Unlike the other parties, the Welsh Lib Dems will continue to oppose Top-up fees in both principal and in practice.

"At our next Conference I hope we will begin the process of setting out how we will oppose fees and close the funding gap, to get the best deal for Welsh students."

"Announcements from HEFCW this week, showed an even wider funding gap growing between Welsh and English universities. We have to close this, without hammering students with more debt, more hardship and more difficulty in getting on the housing ladder."

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