Could reintroduction of national service be an option to fees for higher education?

I took a year out before I went to university and it was a very useful
life learning experience. In fact it made it harder for me to accept my
university education but I learned a lot outside the lecture halls.

What if there was the option...or even something mandated...such that 18
year olds have to work and contribute before university but their
education would be free. As during my year out before university
learning could be combined with working life.

I believe this would make for better students. I believe it may,
perhaps, be cost effective too.

First and foremost, education is a right not a privilege but modern
governments have forgotten the ideals which we, the anti-fees
campaigners from a decade ago, fought for. We were promised fees would
never go higher than £1,000 a year but even this amount is too high when
there is an ideal at stake: education is a right, not a privilege.

There are probably enough long term economics and health arguments for
guaranteeing education as a right, not a privilege but we live in times
where short sightedness seems to be valued by politicians. Perhaps this
idea of national service before or during university education as an
alternative to the rape of the ideal of free education might be an
option which makes sense in the current economic climate.

Frankly I think it's a fucking shit idea. Education is a right, not a
privilege. Anything less sucks balls.