Thousands of
university students demonstrated Thursday in central London, the fourth since
last month, as MPs in the House of Commons prepared to vote on a plan to raise
tuition fees.

Policemen try to push a protester back in London, Britain, Dec. 9, 2010.  (Xinhua/Zeng Yi)

Students from around the
country took part in the latest protest, during which barricades were set up
around the Houses of Parliament.

Ahead of the vote, Prime
Minister David Cameron insisted that raising tuition fees would widen access to
universities, creating incentives to improve the quality of courses.

But the University and
College Union’s Sally Hunt criticized the plan, warning “it will be an issue for
tens of thousands of students and their hardworking families.”

The British government
confirmed that university undergraduate students will be charged tuition fees of
up to 9,000 pounds (14,300 U.S.dollars) a year from 2012 from the current 3,290
pounds (5,200 dollars).

Under the plan, graduates
earning more than 21,000 pounds(33,200 dollars) per year will start repaying
their loans at 9 percent of their income at a real rate of interest, up from the
current threshold of 15,000 pounds (23,700 dollars), with outstanding loans
written off after 30 years.

The British university
students have staged three waves of demonstrations against the planned tuition
fee rise in London and other cities since last month, resulting in
confrontations with police and arrests. 

VietNamNet/Xinhuanet