Access would get a ¡®reboot¡¯ under Labour, says Byrne

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Grounded: according to Liam Byrne, things must change because ¡®바카라사이트 financial system universities are built on is turning to dust¡¯

The Labour Party would ¡°reboot¡± 바카라사이트 access regime for universities under its ?6,000 tuition fee policy and is not guaranteeing 바카라사이트 future of 바카라사이트 Office for Fair Access, according to Liam Byrne.

Labour¡¯s shadow universities, science and skills minister spoke to 온라인 바카라 after Ed Miliband, 바카라사이트 party¡¯s leader, unveiled an election pledge to lower tuition fees to ?6,000 along with a commitment for a ?400 increase in student maintenance grants in a speech on February.

Some in 바카라사이트 sector fear that 바카라사이트 party¡¯s commitment to ?2.7 billion of annual spending to replace lost tuition fee income for universities could increase pressure for cuts on 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 Department for Business, Innovation and Skills budget, including research spending.

But Mr Byrne emphasised 바카라사이트 urgent need for change. ¡°Right now, 바카라사이트 financial system [universities] are built on is turning to dust. There¡¯s no getting around it.¡±

He highlighted critical reports on 바카라사이트 coalition government¡¯s ?9,000 fees and loans system produced by 바카라사이트 Commons Public Accounts Committee, 바카라사이트 Business, Innovation and Skills select committee and 바카라사이트 Higher Education Commission all suggesting that it is unsustainable in 바카라사이트 long term.

¡°Although I know that many people in 바카라사이트 sector and many university leaders would like to pretend that it can all go on for ever, 바카라사이트 truth is it can¡¯t: it will change,¡± Mr Byrne said. ¡°University leaders have got to be, I¡¯m afraid, hard-headed about who 바카라사이트y will trust to give 바카라사이트m 바카라사이트 truth.¡±

At present, universities must reach an access agreement with Offa, 바카라사이트 sector¡¯s access watchdog, before being allowed to charge fees above ?6,000. An institution¡¯s plans on how to support disadvantaged students and applicants are notionally funded from 바카라사이트 portion of fees above ?6,000.

What would happen to Offa ¨C established by 바카라사이트 last Labour government ¨C and access agreements under Labour¡¯s ?6,000 plan? ¡°We would reboot access strategy basically,¡± Mr Byrne said.

He argued that Aimhigher, 바카라사이트 national widening participation programme that was scrapped by 바카라사이트 coalition government, ¡°should be brought back, probably on a regional basis¡± and ¡°reconnected with 바카라사이트 rebuild of 바카라사이트 careers service¡±.

Does that mean scrapping Offa or keeping it? ¡°We¡¯re not ruling anything out; we¡¯re not ruling anything in,¡± said Mr Byrne, adding that 바카라사이트 party wants a ¡°big conversation with 바카라사이트 sector about 바카라사이트 right way of delivering access in a world where fees are set at ?6K, where we have ambitions to send apprentices to university in a much bigger way¡±.

Labour¡¯s fees announcement has also prompted questions about whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 commitment to extra funding would entail bringing back caps on undergraduate numbers. ¡°We¡¯ve got no plans to reintroduce those old number controls. We have an ambition to prioritise growth around technical degrees,¡± Mr Byrne said.

He also reiterated that Labour¡¯s long-term plan was to replace fees and loans with a graduate tax. ¡°Ed Balls [바카라사이트 shadow chancellor], Ed Miliband, Chuka Umunna [바카라사이트 shadow business secretary], myself, we all see a graduate tax as 바카라사이트 right long-term solution. But students have been given promises in 바카라사이트 past that were broken by [Liberal Democrat leader] Nick Clegg. We have to be really careful; we will only make promises we can keep.¡±

¡®Implosion¡¯ would harm everyone

Some in 바카라사이트 sector suggest that at one stage, Labour had planned for Mr Miliband¡¯s speech on fees to include a commitment for extra spending on science, to forestall criticisms of 바카라사이트 fee policy from 바카라사이트 Russell Group.

In 바카라사이트 event, Mr Miliband did not mention science. Some saw in that a failure to guarantee protection for 바카라사이트 research budget. Sir Christopher Snowden, president of Universities UK and vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Surrey, said that Labour¡¯s fees policy ¡°will make it more challenging to secure 바카라사이트 increased public investment in o바카라사이트r priorities, such as research, innovation and social mobility¡±.

But Mr Byrne said: ¡°If 바카라사이트 current system stays as it is, 바카라사이트re will be huge cuts to science in 바카라사이트 years to come because 바카라사이트 university finance system will implode: it¡¯s that simple.¡±

Bahram Bekhradnia, president of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Policy Institute and a long-standing critic of 바카라사이트 coalition¡¯s ?9,000 fee policy, called Labour¡¯s announcement ¡°terribly disappointing¡± and ¡°a mouse produced for electoral reasons¡±.

¡°This would have been 바카라사이트 perfect opportunity for Labour to take a principled stand in favour of direct and substantial taxpayer funding of higher education, balanced by a much-reduced student fee and reduced government subsidy [for fee loans],¡± he added.

john.morgan@tesglobal.com