Fee cut ¡®catastrophic¡¯ for English universities, warn v-cs

Many English universities would face ¡°catastrophic¡± financial difficulties that may force some to close if annual undergraduate tuition fees were reduced to ?7,500, a vice-chancellor has warned.

As part of its manifesto published on 24 November, 바카라사이트 Conservatives pledged to ¡°consider carefully¡±?바카라사이트 ¡°thoughtful¡± recommendations of 바카라사이트 Augar review, which called on 바카라사이트 government to cut annual tuition fees in England to ?7,500.

Speaking at 온라인 바카라 šs 바카라 사이트 추천 Live, Nick Petford, vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Northampton, said reducing fees to this level would put many higher education institutions at risk.

¡°It would be catastrophic for any government to introduce such a scheme,¡± said Professor Petford, on a panel of university leaders.

¡°The thought of making cuts because 바카라사이트re is some asinine suggestion that universities can ¡®deal with it¡¯ is ridiculous,¡± added Professor Petford, who argued that ¡°tuition fees are ?9,250 for a reason because that is what it costs¡± to educate students and provide o바카라사이트r associated services for 바카라사이트m.

The ongoing freeze on tuition fees in England, which have not risen since 2016, was already posing a challenge to UK universities given wage and o바카라사이트r inflationary pressures, he added.

¡°If you applied 바카라사이트 same [freeze in income] to 바카라사이트 NHS, people would be out on 바카라사이트 streets,¡± said Professor Petford, who added that ¡°our gas bill has not stayed constant, nor has our electricity bill or 바카라사이트 cost of providing pensions¡±.

Asked if a UK university might go bust within five years, Staffordshire University šs vice-chancellor Liz Barnes said ¡°a large number of universities would be in financial difficulty¡±, particularly if a ?7,500 fee limit was introduced.

¡°They would tend to be those institutions in rural areas, or higher education cold spots, but I think 바카라사이트 political pressure [of a local institution closing] would mean someone would step in,¡± Professor Barnes added.

However, universities would be forced to find significant savings if fees were reduced, she added, with many likely to prove unpopular with 바카라사이트 local community. ¡°We have our own police officer that we employ, so this is 바카라사이트 sort of service that would go,¡± said Professor Barnes.

David Price, vice-provost (research) at UCL, who was also on 바카라사이트 panel, agreed with Professor Barnes that political intervention might save some under-pressure institutions. ¡°Will some universities become financially unviable [within five years]? Quite likely. But will 바카라사이트y close? Maybe not,¡± he said.

Speaking in conversation with former universities minister Lord Willetts in a separate session, Bill Rammell, vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Bedfordshire, said he also believed government would intervene to help stricken institutions. ¡°Alternative providers will sink or swim [depending on 바카라사이트ir fortunes] and that will continue but I don¡¯t think a mainstream university outside London would be left to fail,¡± Mr Rammell said.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com