John Denham: ?9K fee system ¡®wastes money¡¯

John Denham, former secretary of state in 바카라사이트 Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, made 바카라사이트 comments at a fringe meeting at 바카라사이트 Labour Party Conference in Manchester last night.

Carl Lygo, vice-chancellor of for-profit-owned BPP University, also told 바카라사이트 meeting: ¡°It does not cost ?9,000 a year to teach a degree. Something else is going on with that money.¡±

Mr Denham told 바카라사이트 event, hosted by 바카라사이트 right-of-centre thinktank Policy Exchange: ¡°We run a system that wastes money hand over fist. And it is poorly designed to get value for money and deliver what 바카라사이트 country needs.¡±

He said such waste was ¡°intrinsic in a high-fee, high-loan system¡±, and discussed plans he has previously set out to lower 바카라사이트 cost of university to students and taxpayers.

Mr Denham criticised 바카라사이트 current level of spending by 바카라사이트 government on loan write-offs. This money should be ¡°put into tuition fees and teaching¡±, he told 바카라사이트 event, titled ¡°Why on earth does going to university cost so much money? Achieving financial sustainability in 바카라사이트 English HE system¡±.

There was also ¡°political inefficiency¡± in spending on maintenance grants and access that he put at ?600 million. Such access spending was needed because 바카라사이트 government is ¡°so worried [it] screwed up access by putting 바카라사이트 high fees up¡±.

Mr Denham argued that costs were also high because 바카라사이트 higher education system is ¡°more and more a three-year residential system¡±, which ¡°assumes that it¡¯s not a proper university education unless you live away from home, which is extraordinarily expensive¡±.

The former minister also said that a culture of ¡°fee envy¡± among vice-chancellors, where higher fees were seen to equate to institutional prestige, had helped to push up prices. ¡°We need to break that culture,¡± he added.

Mr Lygo said he ¡°couldn¡¯t agree more¡± with Mr Denham¡¯s comments on costs in 바카라사이트 ?9,000 system. BPP had introduced a two-year law degree in 2009 which he said produced graduates ¡°going into magic circle law firms¡±. The total course fee was ?12,000 (now ?14,000) ¡°for a private, profit-making provider to be able to provide a higher education that¡¯s accepted by 바카라사이트 best employers in 바카라사이트 field in 바카라사이트 country¡±.

He criticised 바카라사이트 notion that students must leave home, live in expensive halls of residence and take courses with ¡°long summer holidays¡±.

Mr Lygo continued: ¡°We¡¯re from 바카라사이트 private sector. It¡¯s taken somebody who¡¯s not in ¡®바카라사이트 club¡¯ to come along and say: ¡®You¡¯re absolutely right, 바카라사이트re is a different model that lower cost that can be respectable for employers and delivers high quality.¡¯¡±

Jonathan Simons, head of education at Policy Exchange, told 바카라사이트 meeting: ¡°I do like 바카라사이트 students-as-consumers movement that is beginning to emerge. It is wildly unpopular¡­in most universities. There is definitely a sense of, let¡¯s face it, sniffiness that students should start to be coming to people and saying: ¡®Hold on a minute, what am I getting for my ?9,000 a year?¡¯¡±

But Mr Simons said that culture was ¡°a fantastic development¡±, adding: ¡°That¡¯s 바카라사이트 way you continue to drive quality.¡±

john.morgan@tesglobal.com