AFTER much protracted dithering, the Government today finally announced its plans for student fees.

The Education Secretary, Charles Clarke, laid to rest months of speculation, rumour and rift when he revealed the Government's proposals on funding higher education.

As expected, all but the poorest students will be asked to pay fees of up to £3,000 a year after graduation. The switch from "up-front" payment is intended to appease parents who had been worried about funding their children through university.

Under the new proposals, some young graduates could start out in the working world with debts of around £21,000, when all the costs of their higher education are taken into account.

The generation of young people who will face such a personal education tax will have gone through school being tested continually in a system that has changed almost yearly. Now they are being asked to pay mightily for the privilege of attending university.

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Phil Willis, who speaks on education for the Liberal Democrats, warns that these proposals will betray future generations of students.

Mr Willis, himself a former headteacher, believes that "Britain will be left with a two-tier market driven university system". He is right to raise such concerns. Here is yet another worrying example of New Labour following the sort of narrow financial route once associated with the Conservatives.

These proposals will affect university cities such as York. Students will leave higher education with massive debts and stumble into a city in which property prices have gone sky high. How are these debt-burned young people going to be able to buy a house here?

Although the Government is restoring grants worth up to £1,000 for students from poorer families, student debt will still fall hardest on the least well off.

Richer parents will settle the debts of their offspring - and will shrug off the cost of paying more for their children to attend the best, and most expensive, universities.

Living under New Labour is certainly proving to be an education.

Updated: 11:09 Wednesday, January 22, 2003