FEE EXEMPTION FOR PENSIONERS

Back to all Motions

Conference
2008 Retired Members' Conference
Date
13 June 2008
Decision
Carried as Amended

Conference believes that the few retired people who, on retirement, want to pursue higher education in the form of undergraduate and graduate courses should enjoy an exemption from tuition fees.

Apart from these fees being grossly unfair they assume an affordability which will not be the case for the majority of pensioners undertaking these courses. Similarly student loans are not a viable option for pensioners as they are predicated on the assumption that they can be repaid from future employment. Since pensioners will not be seeking such employment they would accrue an unaffordable debt which then represents an unnecessary and unfair obstacle to any pensioner wishing to enrol on such courses.

Conference therefore instructs the National Retired Members’ Committee to:

i.Liaise with the National Executive Council about ways of progressing this proposal including where appropriate liaison with Labour Link; and

ii.Report back to Retired Members’ Conference 2009.