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Britain Student loans Fees fi fo fum
英國 學生貸款 學費？媽媽咪呀~
The new student loans system is proving more expensive than expected
新的學生貸款系統(tǒng)耗資比預期更多
POLITICAL apologies are rarely so awkward.
政治道歉很少有這么奇怪的。
In 2012 Nick Clegg,the Liberal Democrat leader,explained in a short film why he had broken a promise to vote against raising university tuition fees.
2012年，自民黨領導人尼克·克萊格在一部短片中解釋為什么他違背投票反對增加大學學費的承諾。
I shouldn't have committed to a policy that was so expensive when there's no money around, he said.
他說我不該在沒錢的時候還執(zhí)著于一項花費極大的政策。
Mr Clegg has now lost even that excuse.
現在，克萊格連這個借口都沒有了。
It appears that the new student loans scheme could in fact cost the government more than the old one.
貌似新的學生貸款計劃要比原來的花費政府更多的錢。
Yet that does not mean that Mr Clegg's U-turn was a mistake.
但這并不表示克萊格的態(tài)度大轉彎是一個錯誤。
When the coalition government raised fees paid by students in England (Scotland and Wales have their own policies) from around 3,300 to 9,000 a year,
聯(lián)合政府提出由英格蘭學生(蘇格蘭和威爾士有自己的政策)支付的費用由每年約3300上調到9000,
the idea was to boost universities' incomes while cutting the amount of taxpayer cash spent on undergraduate teaching.
目的就是提高大學的收入,同時縮減納稅人花在本科教學上的錢。
State-backed student loans,repayable only when graduates begin earning,were extended to cover the cost of the higher fees.
國家提供的學生貸款在學生開始有收入時再進行償還，而這些貸款足以囊括學生的所有花費。
This,it was thought,would stoke competition in higher education while also helping to reduce the deficit.
有人認為,這將引發(fā)高等教育競爭，同時也有助于減少赤字。
The system can save the government money only if students do indeed repay their loans.
只有學生確實償還貸款，該系統(tǒng)才能節(jié)省政府的錢。
Under the rules,graduates repay 9% of any income they earn over 21,000.
根據規(guī)定,畢業(yè)生必須償還收入超過21000那部分的9%給國家。
Meanwhile,debt accumulates interest at the rate of inflation plus up to 3%.
與此同時,這筆債務的貸款利息將以通脹率再加上最高3%的利率計算。
If they are not fully repaid,loans are written off after 30 years.
如果這些款項沒有全額償還，30年后則會一筆勾銷。
(Student debts incurred before 2012 are forgiven after 25 years—but fees,interest rates and the repayment threshold are all lower,too.)
(2012年之前的學生債務25年之后則一筆勾銷—但費用,利率和償還起點也都較低)。
One consequence of increasing tuition fees is that a far smaller proportion of students will repay their debt in full under the new system than under the old one.
增加學費的結果之一是全額償還貸款的學生人數要遠遠少于舊系統(tǒng)運行時全額償還的學生人數。
And recently,as the salaries of new graduates have stagnated,the forecasts have become even less optimistic.
最近,由于應屆畢業(yè)生的工資停滯不前,預測變得更不樂觀。
According to analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS),a think-tank,73% of graduates will not repay their loans in full.
根據財政研究學會(IFS)的智囊團分析,73%的畢業(yè)生不能全額償還貸款。
The government now expects to recover just 55% of its costs,against an estimate of 72% in 2010.
政府預計只能彌補所有花費的55%，而非2010年時預期的72%。
Yet in other ways the loan system is working impressively.
然而在其他方面，貸款系統(tǒng)的成效還是不錯的。
With the worrying exception of part-timers,few students have been deterred from applying to university.
因為有非全日制學生未被列入貸款對象的擔憂，所以大多數學生都受到鼓勵，申請了學校。
Last year the proportion of 18- and 19-year-olds entering was the highest ever.
去年18 - 19歲的學生進入大學的比例達到歷史新高。
Between 2011 and 2013 the number of students who had been entitled to free school meals entering the most academically demanding universities jumped by 39%.
在2011年和2013年之間，有權免費在學校吃飯且進入學術性最強大學的學生人數上升了39%。
The IFS analysis also shows that the new system is remarkably progressive—those students who go on to earn the largest salaries pay back the most.
IFS分析還表明,新系統(tǒng)非常先進——工資最高的學生償還的貸款也最多。
Better,universities do appear to be getting more competitive as a result.
更加可喜的是大學似乎變得更有競爭力。
Sir Steve Smith,vice-chancellor of Exeter University,says that since fees were increased,students have become savvier
?？巳卮髮W的副校長史蒂夫史密斯爵士說,由于費用增加,學生變得更加精明了
insisting that academics actually mark their essays within a few weeks,for instance.
比如說專家們在幾周內就可以批改完所有文章。
Applications to the best-ranked universities have leapt and many—including Exeter—are expanding to increase their fee income.
申請排名最高大學的人數大幅增加—包括艾克賽特—學費收入也相應上升。
Less prestigious institutions,too,are fighting harder to keep their students.
不那么有名的學校也正在竭盡全力留住學生。
Low repayment rates threaten to undo this.
低還款率迫使情況發(fā)生改變。
The next government will have either to find more money for higher education or to cut spending,says Peter Scott,of the Institute of Education,a research university.
一所研究型大學教育學院的彼得·斯科特說，下屆政府將為高等教育爭取跟多資金或削減教育開支。
In December George Osborne,the chancellor of the exchequer,announced plans to remove a government cap that limits total student numbers.
去年12月，英國財政大臣喬治?奧斯本宣布廢除政府限制總學生人數的規(guī)定。
That may now be difficult.
現在這項規(guī)定可能非常難以實行。
Posh universities fear the government will instead cut grants for science or research.
富裕的大學擔心政府將削減科學或研究資助；
Less posh ones worry about being squeezed by loosely regulated private providers offering cheap courses.
不那么富裕的大學擔心被管理松散的私人培訓機構擠兌，因為他們可以提供價格低廉的課程。
One solution would be to force universities to take on some of the risk that loans will not be repaid.
一個解決辦法是迫使大學承擔一些貸款無法收回的風險。
Universities confident of their graduates' career prospects could then charge more or expand numbers without worrying.
大學相信他們畢業(yè)生的職業(yè)前景可觀，因此他們可以毫無顧慮的收取更高的費用或擴大招生人數。
Others would have to compete by holding fees down or reducing dropout rates.
另外那些對自己學生前途沒什么信心的學校則必須通過壓價或者降低輟學率的方式與他們競爭。
It would not be an easy policy to sell.
推行新的高校助學貸款政策并非易事，
But as Mr Clegg discovered,the right course often is not.
但是，或許正如克萊格了解到得那樣，正確地道路往往荊棘滿途。譯者：張丹 校對：邵靈玲
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