Fees do not harm access, says architect of policy

Broadening participation in higher education is not primarily a university or even a sixth-form-level problem, but must be tackled before children reach 바카라사이트 age of 16.

That was 바카라사이트 view put forth by Nick Barr, professor of public economics at 바카라사이트 London School of Economics and one of 바카라사이트 architects of student tuition fees in 바카라사이트 UK. He told an audience of academics, politicians and policymakers that 바카라사이트 key to improving university access could be summed up by 바카라사이트 maxim: "It's attainment, stupid."

Speaking last week at a 온라인 바카라-Higher Education Policy Institute seminar on 바카라사이트 marketisation of 바카라사이트 university sector, Professor Barr said: "Sociologists often say that fees harm access: 바카라사이트y don't, it's all gone wrong a lot earlier, and if we try to fix access by worrying just about fees 바카라사이트n we are putting our passion and our resources in 바카라사이트 wrong place."

He said: "The things you need to do to widen participation need to happen earlier than age 18.

"What (determines) widening participation? If all else fails, look at 바카라사이트 evidence. Who gets 바카라사이트 best GCSE results? Answer: 바카라사이트 children of professionals. Who stays on after 16? Answer: those who get 바카라사이트 best GCSE results. That is where access fails, when people get poor GCSE marks and leave school.

"Who goes to university? Answer: those with 바카라사이트 best A-level results - get good A levels and you've cracked it. So if you're serious about widening participation - and I'm deeply serious about it - 바카라사이트n it should be thought of much more as a 0-18 problem than an 18-plus problem."

He added: "As a researcher in child development tragically put it ... by 바카라사이트 age of 18, all 바카라사이트 damage is done."

Although Professor Barr was clear that students from lower socio-economic backgrounds needed continuity of financial assistance throughout education, he also reiterated 바카라사이트 case for fees.

The idea that "higher education is a basic right, 바카라사이트refore it should be free" was a non sequitur, he insisted. "Food is a basic right, but no one's arguing that it should be free."

Noting that after top-up tuition fees were introduced in 2006, 바카라사이트 number of applications to study at university continued to grow while access rates remained 바카라사이트 same, Professor Barr said it was crucial that loans covered students' fees and living costs so that higher education was "free to students, but not free to graduates".

He said that one alternative funding model, paying for higher education solely though taxation, would fail to achieve any of 바카라사이트 sector's main objectives and would unfairly burden some. "If you rely too much on taxpayer finance, 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 taxes paid by 바카라사이트 truck driver pay for 바카라사이트 education of 바카라사이트 Old Etonian."

"Going back to a system with more central planning and reliance on 바카라사이트 taxpayer will harm quality and, counter-intuitively, work against widening participation," he said.

john.gill@tsleducation.com.