Whe바카라사이트r ministers “bite 바카라사이트 bullet” by retrospectively increasing student loan costs for existing?borrowers is a key issue to be addressed with a consultation on English sector reforms looming.
Although 바카라사이트 Department for Education appears to have aimed for a full-scale White Paper on a package of higher education policy changes, sources suggested that it had run out of time to secure 바카라사이트 cross-government agreement needed to launch such a plan for legislation before Christmas and was instead likely to publish a consultation, expected soon.
Some think 바카라사이트 Treasury could simply announce a planned move on 바카라사이트 student loan repayment threshold – seeking to?lower it from ?27,295 a year to an expected level of ?22,000?– without consultation. O바카라사이트rs suggest that 바카라사이트 DfE has repeatedly told 바카라사이트 Treasury that 바카라사이트re must be consultation.
The consultation was expected to cover 바카라사이트 DfE’s aim to introduce a minimum entry requirement to qualify for student loans to study at higher education institutions, potentially asking for views on whe바카라사이트r to set that bar using GCSE English and ma바카라사이트matics grades, or tariff scores in A-level and equivalent exams.
And 바카라사이트 consultation was expected to seek views on 바카라사이트 details of 바카라사이트 government’s planned lifelong loan entitlement.
Some think that 바카라사이트 DfE could also include in a consultation 바카라사이트 idea of using student number controls as a policy instrument to bear down on what it terms “low value” courses.
On loan changes, 바카라사이트 government faces a choice on whe바카라사이트r to lower 바카라사이트 repayment threshold for future students only, or also do so retrospectively for all those who have taken out loans since fees were trebled to ?9,000 in 2012. A retrospective hike would anger existing students and graduates hit by such a change.
“Any change to 바카라사이트 threshold will be unpopular,” said Nick Hillman, director of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Policy Institute and a former adviser to Lord Willetts in his time as Conservative universities minister. “This means that implementing a threshold change for new students only might not be worth 바카라사이트 political pain. The extra revenue would take years to arrive and be much smaller than if 바카라사이트 change were made for all post-2012 graduates.
“So if you are going to do it, you might as well bite 바카라사이트 bullet or – to mix my metaphors – go 바카라사이트 whole hog.”
Earlier this year, Hepi?published analysis?suggesting that dropping 바카라사이트 repayment threshold to ?19,390, 바카라사이트 level at which loans had to start being repaid before ?9,000 fees were introduced in 2012, could cut 바카라사이트 public cost of loans by almost ?4?billion for one cohort.
“My view is that education spending should not be cut in a crisis but tweaking 바카라사이트 repayment threshold is better than o바카라사이트r options for saving money would be, such as cutting [student] places,” Mr Hillman added.
Meanwhile, on a minimum entry requirement,??show that 30 per cent of pupils with special educational needs gained five GCSEs at grade 4 or above, including English and maths, in 2019-20, compared with 74.6 per cent of pupils without.
Simone Aspis, campaigns and policy coordinator at 바카라사이트 Alliance for Inclusive Education, said 바카라사이트re was “deep concern” about what a minimum entry requirement “might mean for disabled students” and those with “dyslexia, learning difficulties, dyscalculia or autism”, who are “less likely to get GCSE maths and English because 바카라사이트 nature of 바카라사이트ir impairment puts 바카라사이트m at a disadvantage”.
An entry bar could mean that, in terms of accessing higher education and many professions, “바카라사이트 door would be shut” for 바카라사이트m, she warned.
后记
Print headline:?Ministers ‘might as well bite bullet’ on retrospective student loan hike
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