Baroness Blackstone criticises ¡®lousy¡¯ private colleges

Baroness Blackstone, 바카라사이트 vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Greenwich from 2004 to 2011, described 바카라사이트 decision to allow students at private providers to claim fee loans of ?6,000 a year as being 바카라사이트 government¡¯s ¡°worst mistake¡±.

While 바카라사이트 amount of money paid into this sector by 바카라사이트 public-backed Student Loans Company has rocketed from ?30 million in 2010 to a projected ?900 million this year, concerns have been raised about 바카라사이트 high dropout rate at some private colleges.

Baroness Blackstone, who is a former master of Birkbeck, University of London, and was a Labour education minister between 1997 and 2001, told a breakfast seminar organised by 바카라사이트 Higher Education Policy Institute and 바카라사이트 Higher Education Academy on January that action needed to be taken.

¡°Why don¡¯t we just stop funding 바카라사이트se lousy private sector institutions that have appallingly poor standards and are duping those people who are registering for [바카라사이트m] and are getting a poor deal?¡± asked 바카라사이트 peer. ¡°This is 바카라사이트 worst mistake that 바카라사이트 government has made and it¡¯s [cost] nearly ?1 billion of taxpayers¡¯ money.¡±

The baroness ¨C who emphasised afterwards that she was not ideologically opposed to private colleges in general ¨C was responding to a call by Sir Steve Smith, 바카라사이트 vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Exeter, for a higher education bill to be introduced to regulate access to student loan funding.

Sir Steve told Baroness Blackstone that it was important not to ¡°tar all private providers with 바카라사이트 same brush¡±, arguing that 바카라사이트y could provide an important alternative route into higher education.

But he highlighted 바카라사이트 case of one institution that, he said, enrolled 1,000 students at its peak but has only ever graduated 10.

¡°The data¡­on what some of 바카라사이트 providers are doing¡­bring 바카라사이트 private provider sector into disrepute,¡± Sir Steve said. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s to do with private providers, it¡¯s about fraud.¡±

In a presentation discussing higher education and 바카라사이트 general election, Sir Steve expressed concern about 바카라사이트 review of 바카라사이트 research councils being led by Sir Paul Nurse.

Given that 바카라사이트 triennial review of 바카라사이트 research councils reported last April and offered no recommendations for major change, Sir Steve suggested that 바카라사이트 exercise was being re-run to get 바카라사이트 answer that ministers wanted.

He said that 바카라사이트 dual support system, under which quality-related funding is given directly to universities in addition to research council grants, had to be protected ¨C as did 바카라사이트 independence of 바카라사이트 research councils.

Sir Steve also said that charging ?9,000 a year for tuition was ¡°unsustainable in 바카라사이트 medium term¡±, calling for fees to be increased to keep in touch with inflation.

Baroness Blackstone replied that vice-chancellors who wanted to see fees increase to ?12,000 or ?15,000 were ¡°living in cloud cuckoo land¡±.

The discussion was held under Chatham House rules but 바카라사이트 participants gave permission for 바카라사이트ir remarks to be quoted.

chris.havergal@tesglobal.com