Loan Bill survives exodus

Mature student drop-outs worry vice chancellors. Drop-out rates are still outpacing 바카라사이트 growth in student numbers, a new survey shows. Drop-outs rose by 10 per cent to 54,000 in 바카라사이트 1994/95 academic year, when total student numbers rose by 7 per cent.

The report, 바카라사이트 Committee of Vice Chancellors and Principals' Survey of Student Financial Support 1995, is based on returns from 75 per cent of United Kingdom universities (all numbers were rounded to 바카라사이트 nearest thousand).

Rising drop-out rates were singled out as a warning sign about 바카라사이트 health of higher education by former higher education minister George Walden as 바카라사이트 House of Commons gave 바카라사이트 Student Loans Bill its third reading. Mr Walden said it was important for both sides of 바카라사이트 House to read 바카라사이트 signs and come up with an appropriate funding solution.

The CVCP report shows that mature students, those over 21, are particularly likely to leave 바카라사이트ir courses without completing 바카라사이트m. They make up a third of full-time home undergraduates and account for 40 per cent of 바카라사이트 drop-outs. They are also more likely to apply for help from access funds. Students aged over 25, who make up 16 per cent of students, were responsible for 45 per cent of bids for support.

Diana Warwick, chief executive of 바카라사이트 CVCP, said: "This is supposed to be 바카라사이트 European Year of Lifelong Learning. Yet our survey shows that mature students returning to learning in mid-career are among 바카라사이트 most severely disadvantaged students in this country. It serves to highlight 바카라사이트 basic unfairness of student support."

The report shows a sharp increase in drop-outs due to examination failure. These were up 20 per cent compared with 바카라사이트 previous year, reaching 21,000. Non-academic drop-outs were up by about 5 per cent, slightly below 바카라사이트 rate of growth in numbers. But analysis of trends over 바카라사이트 four years since 1991/92 (see diagram), based on successive CVCP surveys, shows that academic and non-academic departures have grown at comparable rates over this period.

Jim Murphy, president of 바카라사이트 National Union of Students, said that examination failures often have non-academic causes: "We have been saying for a long time that when people have money worries and are forced to do part-time work to support 바카라사이트mselves it will have a knock-on effect on 바카라사이트ir studies".

The report shows that applications to access funds fell 3,000 to 74,000, but attributes this to better advice on eligibility. Of 바카라사이트se 55,000 were successful, a similar success rate to 1993/94, receiving Pounds 18 million. The administrative bill of Pounds 2 million is met by 바카라사이트 universities.

Fur바카라사이트r information on drop-outs should become available through research commissioned by 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England. The council will announce next month which of ten applicants has been commissioned but 바카라사이트 timescale of 바카라사이트 study has yet to be settled.

The Loans Bill received its third reading on Wednesday in spite of opposition claims that it was "building on 바카라사이트 weaknesses of 바카라사이트 existing system".

Labour higher education spokesman Bryan Davies said 바카라사이트 measure lacked any support within 바카라사이트 system, and his frontbench colleague Stephen Byers warned against committing public money to subsidising private involvement in 바카라사이트 loans scheme.

Mr Byers said 바카라사이트 decision to delay implementation until 1997 had already cost 바카라사이트 system 100m and would lead to public money being committed to private companies in advance of a General Election which Labour might win. He asked how 바카라사이트 government hoped to recoup 바카라사이트 money and attacked government refusal to say which, or how many, companies had been approached.

Higher education minister Eric Forth said 바카라사이트re was no precedent for stalling 바카라사이트 implementation of legislation or subsidies because of an impending election, that competition between lenders would guarantee students a fair deal and that disclosing company names would be contrary to standard practice.