'Fees rise will put CFE courses out of reach'
PROPOSED rises in fees for adult and community courses at the College of Further Education could see some prices triple, it has been warned.
Rod Ferbrache has run his adult birdwatching class for 10 years.
He was shocked when he discovered that the fee for the 12-week course could rise from £75 to £240.
Education, Sport & Culture president Paul Le Pelley confirmed it was reviewing charges as part of savings to the college's budget.
'The reality is that many of the adult learning, specialist interest or craft courses run by the College of Further Education do not actually cover their costs, or in some cases anywhere near their costs,' he said.
'We know that these courses are important to the community, but we cannot continue to lose significant amounts of money by operating them in the way we do now.
'The committee is working with the college to look at offering these courses on a full cost-recovery basis as part of a move to bring the college's budget back in line with expectations.'
Mr Ferbrache said the proposed rise was 'astronomical' and would result in people dropping courses.
'So many older people, who take up different courses in the winter months, just won't be able to afford it,' he said.
