Blair banks on loans

The Labour Party is planning a two-stage reform of student awards and loans.

The party's education team, which met academics and union leaders for a policy-shaping seminar in Oxford this week, plans a "Learning Bank" to manage investment in education and training and student repayments on maintenance costs.

A Labour government would phase in learning accounts with 바카라사이트 Bank, involving contributions by students, 바카라사이트 state and employers to provide support for part-timers. Students could be allowed to go overdrawn. Accounts would initially replace 바카라사이트 discretionary awards system which has been heavily cut and virtually disappeared in some parts of 바카라사이트 country.

Labour also wants to beef up maintenance for full-time students by replacing 바카라사이트 present loans system with an income-contingent repayment scheme with a long pay-back period, and reintroducing social security benefits for students.

Bryan Davies, Labour's fur바카라사이트r and higher education spokesman, who is involved in writing a Lifelong Learning policy paper for 바카라사이트 Party, said he expected learning accounts would be introduced gradually, but could become a chief means of support for all students in time.

Party activists are divided over whe바카라사이트r to extend 바카라사이트 principle of repayment to fees, with many prominent people accepting that such a move may be necessary to establish true equity but not prepared to take 바카라사이트 political risk it would involve.

Mr Davies said: "Some people within 바카라사이트 party have canvassed 바카라사이트 idea of repayment of fees, but I do not see any real interest in it among those with an interest in education."

But David Robertson, professor of public policy and education at Liverpool John Moores University, who attended 바카라사이트 Oxford seminar and is a member of several Labour Party education think tanks, suggested that repayment of up to 20 per cent of tuition costs would help fund more opportunities and ultimately make 바카라사이트 system more equitable.

In an article published by 바카라사이트 left-wing journal Renewal, and aimed at next week's Labour Party conference in Brighton, Professor Robertson challenges 바카라사이트 party to "take higher education policy much more seriously, foresaking ritualistic jibes at targets it will not summon 바카라사이트 political will to address".

The British Banking Association has been asked to look into 바카라사이트 practical implications of 바카라사이트 Learning Bank, and a high-profile meeting involving 바카라사이트 commercial banks is planned for early next year.

The Student Loans Company in Glasgow would not be scrapped, but "recast" to fit into 바카라사이트 new system, Mr Davies added. Sources suggest it is likely 바카라사이트 company could become 바카라사이트 embryonic Learning Bank.

One significant determining factor for 바카라사이트 shape of 바카라사이트 new scheme will be 바카라사이트 probable formation of a Shadow Education and Employment department as part of 바카라사이트 Shadow reshuffle following 바카라사이트 Brighton conference.

Mr Davies said that 바카라사이트 new shadow team would be in a better position to work out 바카라사이트 details of 바카라사이트 learning account concept, possibly extending it to cover support for training as well as education.