STUDENTS could in future leave university with debts of up to £21,000 under the Government's controversial plans for 'top-up' fees.

The move, which would allow universities to increase tuition charges from £1,100 a year up-front to £3,000 a year repayable from a student's income after graduating, is an attempt to plug a shortfall in universities' funding.

The policy, which was being officially unveiled at Westminster today, has angered many Labour MPs, who fear it could create a 'two-tier' higher education system with universities charging different tuition fees. That could see poor students going to the old polytechnics and rich students to elite universities such as York, critics say.

So should students be asked to repay more of the cost of their education from their subsequent earnings?

Dorothy Dawson, 63, Tory party member, keen public speaker and mother of university graduate Mark

"I think it is a disgrace. Blair said Education, Education, Education, which should apply to going to university just as much as it does to young children.

He is cheating higher education and university students, and making it seem as though debt is acceptable. Debt is not acceptable. It is wrong that young people have to start their lives with a legacy of debt. It will put people from poorer families off going to university. You can imagine young people sitting with their parents around the fire, and the parents will say 'Do you realise what it will cost? We cannot afford that.'

Education should be free at university level just as much as it is at other levels. I realise that it costs a lot of money and that we need to do something about this but I don't think continually having to apply for loans for education is the answer.

My son went to university. I wanted him to because I never went. We wanted him to have the experience. He got a good grant and we subsidised him with about £1,000 to help him get through. I don't know whether he would have gone now. We would have had to think about it much more deeply.

People don't always go into high-powered jobs. He ended up for a year teaching in Bratislava in Czechoslovakia, using his education to benefit other people.

We are supposed to be progressing, but as far as education is concerned we are regressing. We are cheating students."

Di Keal, 42, former social worker and mother of three school-age children

"At risk of sounding like Mrs Angry, I just think it is outrageous. It is setting young people up to start their working lives with huge debts. We all get into debt, but I don't think it is a good idea when they leave education at 21 to start them off with large debts. Education is very important. But I think over the last few years they have tried to let too many people in, and they have perhaps lowered the entrance standards. Maybe we need to get back to the stage where it was more difficult to get to university. Otherwise, if you are going to end up paying a huge amount, it will lead to a two-tier system, where you can go if you can afford it, instead of it being based on ability.

We have a crazy situation now where lots of people are going to university and getting degrees and yet there is a shortage of plumbers and things like that. People are going to university and yet they cannot get a job. If you want to go to university, you should be prepared to put the work in with A-levels to get the academic qualifications to go, not just go because of your father's big pockets."

Updated: 09:38 Tuesday, January 21, 2003