London, England, United Kingdom (AHN) – Thousands of British students on Wednesday protested planned government hikes in tuition fees and cuts in education budget.

Demonstration locations included Warwick, Sheffield, Birmingham, Newcastle and London.

Police estimate the number of protesters at 130,000 students.

There were isolated incidents of violence and clashes with police as protestors took over buildings in different parts of Britain. Police on horses charged 1,000 students near Trafalgar Square, which resulted in the protesters throwing chairs and traffic cones into the road.

There were also reports of property damage to bus and shop windows, including a police van in Whitehall.

Several arrests were made by the police for violent disorder and theft, while emergency medical services reported eight injuries at the London demonstrations.

The coalition government condemned the protests. Education Secretary Michael Gove asked media not to provide the students publicity. However, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg apologized to the students for not fulfilling his election promise to stop tuition fee increases. He admitted lack of control to deliver the pledge.

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Washington, D.C., United States (AHN) – The annual “Trends in College Pricing” survey has found that U.S. students and families faced an average 7.9 percent jump in in-state tuition and fees at public four-year colleges and universities in 2010-11.

Published tuition and fees at public four-year colleges and universities have increased at an average annual rate of 5.6 percent beyond inflation over the past 10 years, compared to 2.7 percent at public two-year colleges and 3.0 percent at private nonprofit four-year institutions.

“An economic downturn, tuition increases and stagnant incomes have converged to squeeze both American families as they try to send children to college and older students who are seeking more education to improve their job opportunities,” said College Board President Gaston Caperton. “The silver lining is that record federal aid in the form of Pell Grants and tax credits is helping to make a college education more affordable.”

The average price of tuition and fees for in-state students at public four-year institutions is $7,605 in 2010-11, a jump of $555 from the previous year. At private nonprofit four-year colleges and universities, the average price is $27,293, which represents an increase of 4.5 percent, or $1,164. Published tuition and fees at public two-year colleges increased by $155 (6.0 percent) to $2,713 and for-profit institutions charge an average of $13,935, $679 (5.1 percent) more in 2010-11 than the year before.

“While we’re encouraged by significant increases in financial aid, under the current economic conditions, too many students and families are still struggling to pay for college,” said Sandy Baum, independent policy analyst for the College Board and co-author of the 2010 Trends in Higher Education Series.

Increases in grant aid and tax credits don’t benefit all students, but they are providing a financial boost for millions of families and students. Full-time undergraduate enrollment increased from 12.7 in 2008-09 to 13.5 million in 2009-10.

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London, England, United Kingdom (AHN) – Britain is set to release a review of university tuition initiated by Lord Edmund John Philip Browne, the former chief executive of British Petroleum.

Browne was appointed in June 2010 by the coalition government to be the lead non-executive director in charge of recruiting business leader to reformed departmental boards.

Under the proposed reforms, all taxpayer funding will be withdrawn from most university degrees. That means students would have to borrow thousands as cost of courses are expected to double.

The measures would translate into requiring universities to charge a minimum of $10,500 (7,000 pounds) a year to make up for the loss of national government funding for education. The cost of some high-end degrees is expected to soar to $18,000 (12,000 pounds) a year.

Graduates who have benefited from public funding of their education would have to pay back more in fees and interests. Ironically, those earning from $52,000 to $90,000 (35,000 to 60,000 pounds) a year would likely pay more than those earning over $150,000 (100,000 pounds) a year.

That is based on estimates made by the Institute for Fiscal Studies and the National Union of Students. On an assumption of a 30-year repayment period, those in the middle-income range would end up paying $56,700 (37,800 pounds), while those in the higher-income bracket of $150,000 would just pay $47,773.50 (31,849 pounds) if they repay their loans in four years.

The new system is set to be put in place in 2012.

The proposal does not sit well with Liberal Democrat backbenchers, who plan to vote against the coalition government, according to the NUS because of the party’s stand against any form of tuition fee hikes.

Business Secretary Vince Cable, who is a LibDem, was scheduled to meet with the party’s MPs Monday night to convince them to turn around by asking Browne to make the variable interest rate on student loans linked to a graduate’s income.

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