Although times are tough and cuts are occurring left, right and centre, Education should be the last on the list of cuts.

With these reforms, the Isle of Man Government is discouraging the best minds on the Island from applying to the top universities for fear of future financial difficulties.

Amongst many changes, the reforms notably include a refusal to pay tuition fees beyond the standard three years of Tertiary Education. For extended courses such as Medicine, Dentistry and Vetinary Medicine (which additonally fall into the most expensive "band" of tuition fees) this means that students wishing to train for these professions will be strongly (and wrongly) hindered financially. The island is chronically short of people in these professions and should not, therefore, be discouraging its own people from entering them.

The decision to place a non-means tested £5000 contribution for fourth and subsequent years of education places an extra burden on Manx families who also have to deal with the excessive Island Status or even International Fees (which, more often than not, exceed the new £9000 cap on financial support), living costs and travel expenses.

By refusing to pay the sizeable Oxbridge College Fees (which are paid without question by the British Government for Home Students), the Isle of Man Government penalises the bright; juxtaposed to this, the minimum academic criteria that qualifies a student for funding is arguably extremely low. Cuts should not be made from the top down.

These changes are few amongst many. The reforms, particurlarly those set to be in effect from 2012 entry, come insufficiently publicised and at extremely short notice.

The priviledge of living on the Isle of Man should not affect the decisions of Manx students. It is fundamentally wrong to financially punish the academically ambitious, and the Isle of Man Government MUST rethink their priorities.

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