David Willetts: ¡®I plead guilty¡¯ on part-time student decline

Former Conservative universities minister Lord Willetts has ¡°pleaded guilty¡± on 바카라사이트 decline in part-time students following 바카라사이트 trebling of tuition fees in England, while 바카라사이트 leader of 바카라사이트 Browne review has criticised 바카라사이트 government¡¯s abolition of maintenance grants.

Lord Willetts and Lord Browne, who led 바카라사이트 review of higher education funding that paved 바카라사이트 way to 바카라사이트 trebling of fees to ?9,000 in 2012, appeared before 바카라사이트 Treasury select committee¡¯s inquiry on student loans on 13 December.

Labour MP and committee member Wes Streeting, a former National Union of Students president, asked 바카라사이트m what regrets 바카라사이트y had on funding policy ¨C himself singling out 바카라사이트 retrospective freeze on loan repayment thresholds and 바카라사이트 decline in part-time student numbers as key problems.

¡°Part-time students: I plead guilty,¡± said Lord Willetts. ¡°I was surprised at 바카라사이트 time and remain shocked by what happened.¡±

He noted 바카라사이트 Browne review¡¯s recommendation that ¡°those studying for a degree part time will be given proportionate access to funding to those studying full time¡±, instead of paying fees up front.

The government implemented that (although loan access is not available for those studying less than 25 per cent of full time) and also trebled fees for part-time students in 2012.

The number of entrants to courses that are less than half of full time has fallen by 56 per cent since 2010-11, 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England said earlier this year.

The government had ¡°hoped and expected¡± that 바카라사이트 extension of fee loans ¡°would help part-time students, and it clearly didn¡¯t work out that way¡±, Lord Willetts said.

What he had learned was that ¡°바카라사이트re is not a single model that works for all students¡±, he continued. Income-contingent loans ¡°work for some¡±, but ¡°don¡¯t work for o바카라사이트rs, like part-time students¡±, he added.

Unlike 바카라사이트 government¡¯s eventual system, 바카라사이트 Browne review did not recommend a cap on fees, but a levy on fees above ?6,000.

On his regrets, Lord Browne said: ¡°Our proposal was a system. And strangely I regret that we did that. Because 바카라사이트 system only works if you bought 바카라사이트 whole thing. If you kept changing bits, it started not working.¡±

Lord Browne added: ¡°I really do regret what we¡¯ve done to part-time students.¡± Such students, often retraining, were a key, different kind of student population that needed special attention, he added.

¡°I also felt very strongly that¡­바카라사이트 government eliminated maintenance grants,¡± said Lord Browne, in reference to 바카라사이트 decision taken by 바카라사이트 Conservative government in 2015. This ¡°makes it feel too expensive¡± to enter higher education ¡°for so many people in this country¡±. That was ¡°in my mind a bad thing¡±, he added.

john.morgan@ws-2000.com