The LATTS (Laboratoire Techniques Territoires et Sociétés, UMR 8134) laboratory council has joined the numerous motions from academic institutions and research laboratories opposing the increase in university tuition fees for foreign students (outside the European Union, European Economic Area, and Swiss Confederation) contained in a draft decree presented on March 11, 2019, to the CNESER.
This discriminatory and uncoordinated increase in tuition fees reinforces the exclusion of many students from French higher education by adding a significant financial obstacle to the already considerable administrative barriers. By hindering access to higher education, this decision runs counter to the universal values upheld by French public universities.
Furthermore, this decision paints a worrying picture for the future of higher education. Rather than financial barriers against foreign students, public universities need a fundamental overhaul that repositions them in an open world and provides them with the financial resources to meet the challenges they face. This project must be negotiated with all stakeholders in the academic world. For these reasons, we call for the withdrawal of the government's decision and the opening of discussions on the conditions for rebuilding an open public university, without conditions of nationality or income.