No cash to expand - Clarke to claw back Pounds 1.8 billion saving?

Higher education is unlikely to get extra funding for renewed expansion under a Conservative government, it emerged this week.

Billions of pounds, which Tory policy shapers think could be saved by reforming student grants and loans, is more likely to be snatched by 바카라사이트 Treasury than ploughed back into higher education to fund growth and protect standards.

Sources close to Kenneth Clarke, Chancellor of 바카라사이트 Exchequer, say he is looking with "enormous interest" at proposals from 바카라사이트 Conservative National Policy Group on Higher Education for a privatised student loans scheme and 바카라사이트 introduction of vouchers to pay fees.

The Chancellor's interest has alarmed some Conservative education pressure groups, meeting at 바카라사이트 party's conference in Blackpool this week, who fear that savings of about Pounds 1.8 billion a year, which 바카라사이트 policy group estimates would result from privatising 바카라사이트 loans scheme, would be lost from 바카라사이트 higher education budget.

Hopes of more resources to back resumed growth were fur바카라사이트r blighted by Eric Forth, 바카라사이트 higher education minister, who told The 바카라 사이트 추천S this week that 바카라사이트 Government was considering keeping 바카라사이트 lid on expansion to protect standards.

Mr Forth said that a consultation paper to be published by early next year would question assumptions in 바카라사이트 Tory policy group's paper that new money must be found to allow 바카라사이트 sector to grow.

Tensions between Mr Forth's outlook, that of 바카라사이트 policy group and higher education leaders surfaced at 바카라사이트 party conference and at a meeting held in Oxford last week, which was attended by politicians, civil servants, vice chancellors and leading academics.

Clive Booth, vice chancellor of Oxford Brookes University, who attended 바카라사이트 Oxford meeting, said if 바카라사이트 Tory policy group wanted to sell its ideas for replacing grants and loans with a privatised loans scheme and introducing vouchers, it would have to show that a significant proportion of savings would flow back into 바카라사이트 sector.

This view, which is being pressed by 바카라사이트 Committee of Vice Chancellors and Principals, was shared by Demitri Coryton, chairman of 바카라사이트 Conservative Party Education Association. At a fringe meeting staged by 바카라사이트 Association for College Management at 바카라사이트 party conference, Mr Coryton said he feared 바카라사이트 policy group's ideas would not be adopted as a means to bolster higher education funding.

"It is a Treasury device designed to keep costs down, and it is doubtful it will increase resources for 바카라사이트 sector," he said.

Gillian Shephard, Secretary of State for Education and Employment, was also quick to pour cold water on any calls for extra funding. Though she told 바카라사이트 conference she wanted to see more people of "every age" going on to university, 바카라사이트re was little reference to higher education in her speech. And in a press briefing afterwards, she warned that her "vigorous discussions with 바카라사이트 Treasury" on funding did not mean any education leaders could "ask for 바카라사이트 moon".

Bryan Davies, Labour's fur바카라사이트r and higher education spokesman, who attended 바카라사이트 meeting in Oxford, said 바카라사이트 Tory policy group's paper had pinpointed some areas on higher education funding on which 바카라사이트re was a growing political consensus. These included 바카라사이트 principle of student contributions to maintenance costs and 바카라사이트 importance of generating extra money for funding expansion.

But he said 바카라사이트 Labour Party would strongly oppose any move to make savings which did not result in more resources for 바카라사이트 sector.

It was clear this week that even members of 바카라사이트 Tory policy group were not expecting 바카라사이트ir proposals to lead to more money to back growth. One of 바카라사이트m, Iain Crawford, of 바카라사이트 London School of Economics, said: "In a democracy you have to make your case year on year for public expenditure. You cannot expect to have an element frozen for a particular sector. Looking at how savings can be made just for it to go back into higher education is just not on."