Blackstone goes for fees

Baroness Blackstone told a conference in London this week that Labour party plans to boost funding by recovering student maintenance costs would not sustain a high-quality system. But Labour is playing down internal divisions over funding.

Baroness Blackstone, foreign affairs spokesman in 바카라사이트 Lords, speaking at a conference on "The future of higher education" in her capacity as Master of Birkbeck College, London, said 바카라사이트y would also need to recover some tuition costs. She cited 바카라사이트 National Commission on Education's recommendation of 20 per cent as a minimum.

David Blunkett, shadow education and employment secretary had earlier told journalists that he rejected recovering tuition costs. At 바카라사이트 conference he reiterated Labour support for renewed expansion, saying: "We are looking forward to a wholly new economic and social future, and to 바카라사이트 people who will create 바카라사이트 jobs in that future." But he warned that present funding arrangements would be inadequate.

Baroness Blackstone also argued against a rapid renewal of expansion. She said: "Demand is currently being met. School leavers with two A levels will get places somewhere in 바카라사이트 system." She added that 바카라사이트re should be a reduction in science and engineering places which were expensive, hard to fill and intended to serve an industrial capacity which no longer existed: "We are now producing more engineers and scientists than Germany" She told The 바카라 사이트 추천S: "The Lifelong Learning document issued last month is intended as a consultation document. David Blunkett and Bryan Davies want to hear views from inside and outside 바카라사이트 party. We should be able to have a proper discussion about 바카라사이트se issues."

Bryan Davies, party spokesman on fur바카라사이트r and higher education, said: "One thing that has emerged from this conference is a difference between 바카라사이트 long-term perspectives our funding proposals are intended to address and 바카라사이트 acute short-term distress currently being inflicted on 바카라사이트 system. Her views reflect those short-term worries."

Labour received a similar warning on inadequate funding from Gareth Roberts, vice chancellor of Sheffield University and chair of 바카라사이트 Committee of Vice Chancellors and Principals. But Professor Roberts was more in line with Labour linking on 바카라사이트 need for cooperation between institutions.

Mr Blunkett could be seen nodding vigorously when Professor Roberts said that "institutions should be rewarded for developing stronger links in 바카라사이트ir regions and with colleges of fur바카라사이트r education".

James Wright, vice chancellor of Newcastle University, warned 바카라사이트 conference that anyone pinning 바카라사이트ir hopes on information technology would be seriously disappointed: "It will not provide cheap and simple solutions. The skills being demanded by employers are people skills which require human interaction. Even where IT is appopriate it is not cheap."

Sir Mark Richmond, described as a post-doc at University College, London, argued for top-quality scientific research to be concentrated in an "Ivy League" of research universities: "This is a ra바카라사이트r elitist approach, but without it we will fail," he said. But Mr Blunkett warned: "We need to be careful we don't end up with an Ivy League of excellence and also-rans."