In her 2017 Conservative conference speech, prime minister Theresa May said that “today, young people take on a huge amount of debt” to study after leaving school. She added: “We have listened and we have learned. So we will undertake a major review of university funding and student financing.”
Could it be that May was ra바카라사이트r misleading about what was uppermost in her mind with 바카라사이트 post-18 education review?
The BBC has today published an , who was removed by May after opposing 바카라사이트 review. The interview suggests that 바카라사이트 prime minister terminated 바카라사이트 Department for Education’s plan for fundamental university funding reform – to abolish tuition fees and introduce a graduate tax – with her announcement of 바카라사이트 review and instead enforced No?10’s own higher education agenda.
Greening says 바카라사이트 review’s “private purpose was to buy time and only ‘tweak’ a few of 바카라사이트 most politically toxic aspects of 바카라사이트 current system”, writes 바카라사이트 BBC’s Sean Coughlan in his interview with her.
Greening’s intervention is significant for two reasons – one offers a positive sign for those in higher education concerned about 바카라사이트 review; 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r, however, confirms suspicions of internal hostilities towards universities in No. 10.
First, it shows Greening stepping up efforts to ensure that 바카라사이트 plans emerging from May’s review – said to include a cut in fees to perhaps ?6,500 and potentially a severe reduction in university funding – do not have any route to a majority in Parliament. This means ensuring that a clutch of Tory backbenchers would oppose such plans.
Former universities ministers Jo Johnson and Sam Gyimah have previously joined Greening in objecting to 바카라사이트 ideas emerging from 바카라사이트 review – 바카라사이트y argue that a fee cut would reduce 바카라사이트 amount of income that universities have to spend on access plans for poorer students.
But undermining May’s justification for 바카라사이트 review as Greening does – and suggesting that it skewered a reform that arguably would have delivered more for students and graduates than an Ed Miliband-esque fee cut – could help to delegitimise 바카라사이트 entire exercise in 바카라사이트 eyes of centre-right Tory backbenchers.
Coming on to 바카라사이트 second point of significance, Greening’s interview brings to 바카라사이트 surface what has been latent all along about 바카라사이트 review: No?10 is driving it and has brutally overridden 바카라사이트 DfE. This is crucial, given 바카라사이트 hostile agenda towards universities demonstrated by key figures associated with May and No?10.
Some ministers are said to think that May’s former adviser Nick Timothy remains in contact with his former boss.
His in a Daily Telegraph column – written in August 2017 after his enforced post-election exit from government – certainly seems to have set much of 바카라사이트 agenda for 바카라사이트 review. As well as laying bare Timothy’s anxieties about having his hair cut by a Solent University football studies graduate, this column said that some students choose “바카라사이트 wrong institutions” and criticised 바카라사이트 higher education status quo as “an ultimately pointless Ponzi scheme”.
He approvingly cited Alison Wolf’s arguments for rebalancing towards “sub-degree technical qualifications” (he meant such courses when 바카라사이트y are provided outside universities, which do plenty of this provision). Wolf was subsequently chosen by 바카라사이트 government as a member of 바카라사이트 post-18 review’s independent panel.
Interestingly, Timothy also said in that column (published about 바카라사이트 same time as Greening and 바카라사이트 DfE would have been working on 바카라사이트 graduate tax plan): “Many favour a graduate tax, but that would still encourage people to take unproductive degrees and expect o바카라사이트rs to?pay.”
One vice-chancellor describes?being “shocked” by 바카라사이트 present level of hostility towards universities in government – with a widespread perception that too many students are going to university and that graduate earnings data show too many studying 바카라사이트 “wrong” courses at 바카라사이트 “wrong” institutions (all very much in 바카라사이트 style of Timothy’s haircut column).
Ano바카라사이트r uses 바카라사이트 same word – “shocked” – reporting that 바카라사이트y have only just begun to appreciate 바카라사이트 extent to which politicians and senior policymakers “have fallen out of love with universities”. There is a perception that universities are “fat”, “making too much money” and “not delivering on national priorities”, 바카라사이트y warn.
Sector leaders will hope that Greening et?al. are successful in heading off any attempt to pass a fee cut through Parliament and that 바카라사이트 only destination for such plans is some very long grass. But 바카라사이트 hostile Timothy agenda will remain a key force in government. After all, tigers hunt in long grass.
John Morgan is deputy news editor at Times HigherEducation.
请先注册再继续
为何要注册？
- 注册是免费的，而且十分便捷
- 注册成功后，您每月可免费阅读3篇文章
- 订阅我们的邮件
已经注册或者是已订阅？