Two students, Callum Hurley and Katy Moore, recently lost the legal battle they embarked upon against the UK government.
The 17-year-old students called for Business Secretary Vince Cable to reconsider the decision to increase tuition fees to a maximum of £9,000 from the previous £3,290.
The court’s decision was announced on 17 February, rejecting the student’s plea for a change in the regulations, deeming it an inappropriate action because of “substantial compliance” with the new ordering.
Although their suggestion was rejected, Katy Moore stated that she was “pleased with the outcome” as the court recognised “the government’s actions were unlawful”.
The students proposed that the rise is a breach of human rights, arguing that the action alienates poorer students and those of an ethnic minority.
However, the judgement given by the Court stated that they: “do not think that at this stage it is sufficiently clear that as a group [poor students] will be disadvantaged under the new scheme.”
One University of Sussex student commented: “the court case was worth a shot. We do need to speak out about the rise in fees, although there is nothing the students really could have done with their limited power.”
